WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: On a Dime

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

Where do we get this weird expression? Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds at a time. I'm Lauren Smith, and someone pointed out to me that the weather here changes on a dime, which made us wonder, where does that ridiculous expression come from? The original expression probably didn't involve dimes at all, but had something to do with six pences or five cent pieces. The idea behind it was that a small-denomination coin doesn't take up much space, so anything that turns or changes on a dime does so rapidly. Early on, it usually applied to things that take up physical space.

Cars, dancers, and baseball players could do things on dimes, meaning either with speed and precision or in the case of baseball players without covering all the ground they were supposed to. This latter use is probably how the expression was popularized, although its meaning subsequently changed. What was once a fantastic and fresh metaphor is now a cliche. This is a common fate of particularly catchy expressions. That's your grammar minute. Thank you.