Brownie point

noun

, Informal.

1. a credit toward advancement or good standing gained especially by currying favor.

Brownie point

noun

1. a notional mark to one's credit earned for being seen to do the right thing

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brownie point¹

First recorded in 1960–65; from the point system based on good behavior and performance used by Brownies for advancement

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brownie point¹

C20: from the mistaken notion that Brownie Guides earn points for good deeds

Example Sentences

He's going to need every brownie point the universe can give him, and that certainly can't hurt the ol' karma quotient.

From Golf Digest

“My most entertaining attempt to capitalize on an unremarkable height is probably my tendency to slightly underreport my height while online dating, hoping to surreptitiously snag a Brownie point or two for nimbly clearing the bar I’ve just lowered when I show up a bit taller than expected, or at least no shorter.”

From New York Times

A similar historical farrago of half-truths and wishful thinking helped convert TS Eliot to high church Anglicanism in the 1920s, so there's one brownie point for it, but as an account of the English past, it won't wash.

From The Guardian

The only other news organization named—the New York Times—gets a brownie point when mentioned.

From Slate