So plentiful as to be valueless. For example, Don't bother to buy one of these—they're a dime a dozen. The dime was declared the American ten-cent coin in 1786 by the Continental Congress. [ First half of 1900s] Word Of The Day Quiz: Make Your Vocabulary Immensurable!
a dime a dozen Definitions and Synonyms
phraseinformal. DEFINITIONS1. extremely common, and therefore not very valuable or special.
It is believed that it originated sometime during the 1800s, when 'dime' was first used as slang for the number ten and when a 'dime' of every twelve (dozen) hens' eggs were likely to hatch.
There are dozens of me at every major university at a dime a dozen. Beauties were a dime a dozen in his world, but even among them there were superior and inferior gifts.
So, anything that is “a dime a dozen” is very common or also very cheap. You can use the term dime a dozen for just about anything.
Biff Loman : [arguing with Willy] Pop, I'm a dime a dozen and so are you... Willy Loman : [shouting] I am not a dime a dozen! I'm Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman!
on a dime. In a very small space, suddenly, as in That horse is so well trained it can turn on a dime. This expression alludes to the fact that the dime is the smallest-size U.S. coin. [ Early 1900s]
Dime is still used as a teenage slang synonym for a beautiful woman. This stems from the 1979 movie ''10,'' starring Bo Derek, and is rooted in ''On a scale from 1 to 10, she's a 10. '' She is now a dime. Behind a dime is an expression of suspicion.
A dime a dozen is an English idiom, meaning "so common as to be practically worthless".
These toy cars are a dime a dozen at the store. Everyone at school has the same backpack – they're a dime a dozen. These stickers aren't special, they're a dime a dozen. My little sister's dolls are a dime a dozen, I have so many.
A dime a dozen is used in a negative way. If you say it to a person, it can be an insult. For example, if you say something like, “girls like Jen are a dime a dozen,” Jen could feel insulted. It means that there are a lot of girls like her, and there is nothing special about her.
dime piece (plural dime pieces) (slang) A beautiful woman.
If someone's a dime piece or a dime, they're mighty attractive — as in, a perfect 10.
slang : a packet containing 10 dollars worth of an illicit drug (such as marijuana) called also dime bag.
Synonyms. (to inform on): dime, grass up, snitch; See also Thesaurus:rat out.
A US dime is worth 10 cents and around the mid-1800s, became the 'sweet spot' currency for a good deal on common grocery items. For example, a shop would advertise a dozen eggs for a dime. Or a dozen apples. And so on.
“Dime” is based on the Latin word “decimus,” meaning “one tenth.” The French used the word “disme” in the 1500s when they came up with the idea of money divided into ten parts. In America, the spelling changed from “disme” to “dime.”
(slang) Ten dollars.
Biff is confident and somewhat comfortable with the knowledge that he is “a dime a dozen,” as this escape from his father's delusions allows him to follow his instincts and align his life with his own dreams.
Ben says, “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy... One must go in to fetch a diamond out... A diamond is rough and hard to the touch...it's dark there, but full of diamonds.” So I kind of see the jungle here, the dark thing that he's encouraging Willy to go towards is suicide.
“I've got to get some seeds. I've got to get some seeds, right away. Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground.”
It was a prevalent saying in the South around and after the Civil War. It suggested that a Yankee had rather give a quick peck on the cheek than to part with a coin. The term expanded into, “He ain't worth a Yankee Dime,” which was another way to say the carpetbaggers weren't going to pay their bills before they left.
drop a dime. Inform on or betray someone, as in No one can cheat in this class—someone's bound to drop a dime and tell the teacher.
If you describe someone or something as nickel-and-dime, you mean that they are not very important or they only function on a small scale.