Drop a dime on 💧💰🗣️

Meaning

To inform the authorities about someone's wrongdoing.

Origin

This phrase likely emerged from the era of early pay telephones. Making a call, especially a long-distance one, often required inserting a dime into the coin slot. If someone needed to report a crime or provide information to the police, they would literally have to 'drop a dime' to make that call. It was a direct, tangible action that became a slang term for turning informant. The smaller denomination, a nickel, was also sometimes used, but the dime became the more prominent coin in the idiom.

🔒 secrets 🎭🤥 deception ⚖️ legal 📅🕰️ 20th 21st century 🗣️ communication ☠️ risk

Drop a dime on represented with emoji💧💰🗣️

This whimsical piece functions as a playful pictogram, inviting us to consider the delightful intersection of liquid assets and vocal revelations. It teaches the viewer not just the literal meaning, but the colorful subtext of how a simple drop can lead to a cascade of spoken truths.

Examples

  • He threatened to drop a dime on his business partner if he didn't get his way.
  • She was so angry about the stolen cookies that she considered dropping a dime on her younger brother.
  • The squirrel, witnessing the acorn heist, contemplated dropping a dime on the mischievous blue jay.
  • If Bartholomew doesn't return my favorite garden gnome by midnight, I'm going to drop a dime on him to the Gnome Protection Agency.

Frequently asked questions

Is 'drop a dime on' formal or informal language?

'Drop a dime on' is very informal slang. It's a colloquialism used in casual conversation, not typically found in formal writing or professional settings.

What's the opposite of 'drop a dime on'?

The opposite of 'drop a dime on' is to cover for someone or keep their secret. This might be expressed using phrases like 'keep mum,' 'stay quiet,' or 'look the other way.'

Can you 'drop a dime on' someone for a minor offense?

While the phrase implies reporting wrongdoing, its use isn't strictly limited to serious crimes. People might use it humorously for minor transgressions, though its core meaning relates to informing about something considered wrong.

Is 'drop a dime on' a proverb or an idiom?

'Drop a dime on' is an idiom. Its meaning (to inform on someone) isn't deducible from the literal meaning of the words 'drop,' 'dime,' or 'on.'

Similar to "drop a dime on"

Sing like a canary
Both mean to reveal secrets, but 'sing like a canary' implies a more talkative, perhaps even eager, confession, whereas 'drop a dime on' is a more direct, transactional act of informing
Spill the beans
Both phrases involve divulging information, but 'spill the beans' suggests an accidental or unrestrained revelation of secrets, often of gossip or surprise, while 'drop a dime on' is a deliberate act of reporting wrongdoing
Tip one's hand
Both actions reveal hidden information, but 'tip one's hand' is about giving away one's own intentions or strategy, often in a game or negotiation, whereas 'drop a dime on' is about exposing another person's misdeeds

Opposite of "drop a dime on"

Take the fifth
This phrase argues for silence and self-protection by invoking the right not to incriminate oneself, directly opposing the act of informing on someone else that 'drop a dime on' represents
Keep your mouth shut
This phrase champions loyalty or complicity by advocating for silence, the polar opposite of 'drop a dime on' which breaks solidarity by revealing secrets to an authority
Look the other way
This argues for passive complicity or willful ignorance, a stark contrast to the active denunciation inherent in 'drop a dime on'

Related to "drop a dime on"

Snitch
'Snitch' is the agent who performs the action of 'drop a dime on', capturing the same sense of betrayal and informing from a personal perspective
Rat someone out
This informal phrase shares the core meaning of betraying someone by reporting their wrongdoing to an authority, evoking a similar undercurrent of low-level treachery
Grass
Like 'drop a dime on', this British slang term refers to informing on someone, but it carries a more specific connotation of confessing to police details about criminal activity
Informer
The 'informer' is the person who 'drops a dime,' making this noun the essential role in the act of snitching