E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Curse or Cuss.
Not worth a curse. I don’t care a curse (or cuss). Here “curse” is a corruption of cerse or kerse. Similarly, the Latin nihil [nihilum] is ne hilum, not [worth] the black eye of a bean. Other phrases are “not a straw,” “not a pin,” “not a rap,” “not a dam,” “not a bit,” “not a jot,” “not a pin’s point,” “not a button.” (Anglo-Saxon, cerse, cress; German, kirsche, a cherry.)
