English

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Noun

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peppercorn rent (plural peppercorn rents)

  1. A nominal rent, originally of a single peppercorn. [from 16th c.]
    • 2016 May, Simon Heffer, Literary Review, page 1:
      Where public libraries are scheduled for closure, their premises and stock should be offered at a peppercorn rent and on a long lease to any subscription library wishing to take them over.
    • 2020 September 23, “Network News: South Western CRPs return to work”, in Rail, page 20:
      Both groups rent space from SWR on a peppercorn rent basis.
    • 2024 March 27, Jade Angeles Fitton, “A moment that changed me: my partner drove off and left me – and in solitude I found my self-confidence”, in The Guardian[1], →ISSN:
      Autumn turned to winter and then spring. I had to leave the property, as the rent was going up and I couldn’t afford it. But I wanted to remain alone. By a stroke of luck, I was offered a peppercorn rent on a holiday cottage by the sea that I had previously cleaned as a housekeeper.