brownie points

Idioms and Phrases

Credit for a good deed, as in John earned a lot of brownie points for doing his boss's report for him . The term originated with the points earned for various achievements by the youngest group of the Girl Scouts, called Brownies. In the mid-1900s it was transferred to general use.

Example Sentences

I don’t want to say this to try to get ideological brownie points, but the fact of the matter is there's nothing enormously brave about me, right?

From Salon

If Attal can confound pollsters’ expectations and somehow pull off a majority for Macron’s centrist bloc in the June 30 and July 7 two-round election, not only will he earn brownie points from the French president, but he’ll also be in a stronger position to argue that he has the country’s ear and support.

From Seattle Times

Earlier, Naoto Nakahara, deputy consul general at the Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong, told Nikkei that the Hong Kong government was “trying to win brownie points from Beijing.”

From Washington Times

The Washington Post also has an incentive to get brownie points from the administration now and then.

From Slate

I think I muttered something about needing all the Brownie points in heaven I could get, and tried to just shrug it off.

From Washington Post