Origin of Phrases - D
Drop a dime
Meaning: Make a phone call.
Example: Don't be such a stranger. Drop a dime some time.
Origin: This is a good phrase to discuss with anyone born after 1970. Pay phones cost 50 cents today, but they really did cost 10 cents at one time. The dime was dropped into the slot of the pay phone.
Along similar lines is "to spend a penny" which in the U.K. means to use the toilet. The penny refers to the price of admission to a public pay toilet.
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