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dime a dozen

 - 3 dictionary results

dime

  [dahym]
Use dime a dozen in a Sentence
–noun
1. a cupronickel-clad coin of the U.S. and Canada, the 10th part of a dollar, equal to 10 cents.
2. Slang.
a. ten dollars.
b. a 10-year prison sentence.
c. dime bag.
—Idiom
3. a dime a dozen, Informal. so abundant that the value has decreased; readily available.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < AF, OF di(s)me < L decima tenth part, tithe, n. use of fem. of decimus tenth, deriv. of decem ten
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

dime 
chosen 1786 as name for U.S. 10 cent coin, from dime "a tenth, tithe" (1377), from O.Fr. disme, from L. decima (pars) "tenth (part)," from decem "ten." The verb meaning "to inform" (on someone) is 1960s, from the then-cost of a pay phone call. A dime a dozen "almost worthless" first recorded 1930. Phrase stop on a dime attested by 1954.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

dime a dozen

So plentiful as to be valueless. For example, Don't bother to buy one of thesethey're a dime a dozen. The dime was declared the American ten-cent coin in 1786 by the Continental Congress. [First half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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