drop a dime

[Mark_Mandel at DRAGONSYS.COM]

Jesse T Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM> writes:

>>>
_Drop a dime_ and related expressions are in volume I of the
RH HDAS, and _rat out_ will be in the III. I don't have it
at hand but I'm sure the first is given a label of "Und." or
"Police and Und." or something like that.

But both expressions I think are reasonably well known outside
the criminal world, or at least well enough known that their
use by a mainstream writer shouldn't occasion too much surprise.
<<<

I recall (but not when or where) a public safety campaign that used the slogan
"Drop a Dime -- Stop a Crime", with a number for making anonymous calls to the
police to report apparent crimes in progress, etc. OTOH, I'm not sure I had any
previous familiarity with the phrase or associated "drop a dime" specifically
with 'call the authorities to report a crime'.

-- Mark A. Mandel