This term is American, but of unknown origin, referring to a
vague system of merit points used to curry favor with some
authority. Evidence indicates that it was part of military slang
during the WWII-Korean War era,1 but the earliest known use in
print is from the Los Angeles Times of 15 March 1951: You don’t
know about brownie points? All my buddies keep score. In fact
every married male should know about ‘em. It’s a way of figuring
where you stand with the little woman—favor or disfavor. Started
way back in the days of the leprechauns, I suppose, long before
there were any doghouses.2 This citation indicates that it comes
from the sense of brownie meaning an elf or fairy. So earning
brownie points would be a way to curry favor with the spirits.
But this is far from certain. Other possible explanations
include that brownie point is a reference to the junior branch
of the Girl Scouts, the Brownies. This would also explain the
soldier slang; one can easily see soldiers using the term from
the Girl Scouts to m