This is the specific meaning of between in this usage: by combining the resources or actions of (two or more people or other entities). It means that even if the two of you combined your resources, the sum would not even amount to a single dime. What does cry on a dime mean?Ĭrying is a negative intensifier. With agile precision, especially with limited room to maneuver. What is the opposite of dime a dozen?Ībnormal. 1998 New Scientist Of course, medical breakthroughs are not a dime a dozen. Is dime a dozen a metaphor?Ī dime is a small US coin worth ten cents which occurs in various US expressions as a metaphor for cheapness or smallness. This expression originated in the 1920s in dance-halls as an imperative for dancers to get moving. For example, It’s time this administration got off the dime and came up with a viable budget. Take action, especially following a time of indecision or delay.

What does the expression get off the dime mean? When you literally have a very small turning radius, you can turn on a dime, whether you’re on foot or in a speed boat. Your neighbor’s huge SUV may be powerful, but it can’t turn on a dime like your tiny Smart car. To turn on a dime is to change direction almost instantly. To be able to stop almost immediately, even when moving very quickly: He runs up the field and stops on a dime to catch the ball. What does the phrase stop on a dime mean? No dice, from the 1920s, alludes to an unlucky throw in gambling no go, alluding to lack of progress, dates from about 1820 and no soap dates from about 1920 and possibly alludes to the phrase it won’t wash, meaning “it won’t find acceptance.” Also see nothing doing won’t wash. : diligent effort expended late at night or as if late at night - compare burn the midnight oil.

What does the idiom burn the midnight oil mean? Instead of something being a good deal, it became a phrase to describe something that’s not valuable and easily available. Over time, the idiom evolved to mean the opposite. When referring to a motor vehicle, the expression invokes an image of the wheels of the vehicle coming to a halt precisely on a dime, without actually rolling over the dime. The dime, or American ten-cent piece, is used here as a metaphor for a small distance.

What does a dime mean in gambling