Brunch (1896); Dime (1995)---(Question)

[George Thompson]

Since the newspaper passage quoted refers to the dimes as "dropping", perhaps the phrase was influenced by the expression "to drop a dime" -- in NYC, this means to inform on someone, or report someone's misdeeds; the image is dropping a dime into a payphone.

I was about to call this expression obsolete, since in NYC at least the cost of a pay-phone call has gone up to a quarter; but then, kid-talk for a train is still "choo-choo".  So maybe "to drop a dime" will live on when the payphone altogether has joined the steam locomotive and the oil lamp in oblivion.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African
Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
Date: Friday, February 27, 2004 10:36 am
Subject: Re: Brunch (1896); Dime (1995)---(Question)

> One does something precisely 'on the money' and even more precisely
> 'on a a dime' ('to stop on a dime'). A good assist has that accuracy
> component.
>
> dInIs
>
>
>
> >This is no doubt a naive question, but what's the connection between
> >an assist in basketball and a dime?
> >
> >Gerald Cohen
> >
> >
> >At 9:54 AM -0500 2/27/04, Fred Shapiro wrote:
> >>On Fri, 27 Feb 2004, Tom Dalzell wrote:
> >>
> >>>    From the Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 1994, page 132, by
> Dan Cahill:
> >>
> >>Here's a little earlier:
> >>
> >>THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
> >>April 2, 1993, Friday, HOME FINAL EDITION
> >>SECTION: SPORTS DAY; MAVERICKS UPDATE; Pg. 4b
> >>
> >>Harper stressed he doesn't have to have the ball in his hands to be
> >>effective and added that he wants, "to be on the end of some of
> those>>dimes (assists) he's dropping. ' Jackson said he felt the
> two showed in
> >>the five games they did play together that they are compatible.
> >>
> >>Fred Shapiro
>