# "Drop a dime" on someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925 "2006-08-16T11:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/1 "2006-08-16T11:06:10Z")
Has anyone heard this slang term? What does it mean, and is it pretty well known? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, or simply holding on to my dimes! 😃 - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/2 "2006-08-16T11:08:41Z")
Rat them out. Dropped a dime into the phone to call the police (or whoever) to get the person in some serious doo doo. Unless I’ve bought into an incorrect myth, of course. I await either confirmation or correction. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/3 "2006-08-16T11:08:52Z")
I believe it means to inform on someone to the police, and that it refers to the once upon a time price of a phone call at a pay phone. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/4 "2006-08-16T11:10:11Z")
Very logical! The term was used in an old sit-com when pay phone calls were still a dime, so this does make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/5 "2006-08-16T11:11:08Z")
[QUOTE=Jinx] Has anyone heard this slang term? What does it mean, and is it pretty well known? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, or simply holding on to my dimes! 😃 - Jinx [/QUOTE] It means to rat someone out. Way back in the day pay telephones cost a dime to use, so if you called the man from a pay phone, you literally dropped a dime in the coin slot. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/6 "2006-08-16T11:24:14Z")
(And now I will resume my spot on the porch with all the other geezers in rocking chairs…) ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/7 "2006-08-16T11:30:18Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] (And now I will resume my spot on the porch with all the other geezers in rocking chairs…) [/QUOTE] You ain’t the only one…good lord, I remember when pay phones only cost a dime…and they were in booths. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/8 "2006-08-16T11:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=shizaru] You ain’t the only one…good lord, I remember when pay phones only cost a dime…and they were in booths. [/QUOTE] …with seats! ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/9 "2006-08-16T11:56:08Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] …with seats! [/QUOTE] And don’t forget the light that came on when you shut the door. You know, in the wooden indoor booths. With phone books inside. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/10 "2006-08-16T12:08:33Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] And don’t forget the light that came on when you shut the door. You know, in the wooden indoor booths. With phone books inside. [/QUOTE] And the phone book was generally “intact.” Even if it was chained to the booth. Aaaah…I never realized how much I’d miss a phone booth! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/11 "2006-08-16T12:24:45Z")
And the phones has dials. Rotary dials to enter the number, not buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/12 "2006-08-16T12:43:49Z")
It’s getting crowded on this porch, **Kalhoun**. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/13 "2006-08-16T12:47:37Z")
[QUOTE=DrFidelius] And the phones has dials. Rotary dials to enter the number, not buttons. [/QUOTE] My mother was an operator for Southern Bell. You know, like when you dialed the 0 on that rotary dial and a live person answered? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/14 "2006-08-16T12:55:24Z")
And the phone went “ding” for a nickle, “ding ding” for a dime, and “bong” for a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![psychloan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@psychloan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychloan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/15 "2006-08-16T13:03:02Z")
I remember dime pay phones as late as 1986. Ok, so that was 20 years ago. But still. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/16 "2006-08-16T13:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=psychloan] I remember dime pay phones as late as 1986. Ok, so that was 20 years ago. But still. [/QUOTE] Where was that? I remember carrying quarters for pay phones when I was a salesman in the DC area in 84 and 85. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/17 "2006-08-16T13:17:16Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] And the phone went “ding” for a nickle, “ding ding” for a dime, and “bong” for a quarter. [/QUOTE] These tones sounded a lot like the little whistle that used to come in boxes of Captain Crunch :p. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/18 "2006-08-16T13:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] These tones sounded a lot like the little whistle that used to come in boxes of Captain Crunch :p. [/QUOTE] Different phone phreaking techniques. The whistle technique was different then recording and replaying the sounds of coins dropping. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/19 "2006-08-16T13:39:31Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] Where was that? I remember carrying quarters for pay phones when I was a salesman in the DC area in 84 and 85. [/QUOTE] Between Batavia, Auburn, Lake Ontario and the NYS-Pennsylvania border. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925/20 "2006-08-16T13:43:41Z")
Actually, these days I hear it shortened, like “Should I dime on him?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drop-a-dime-on-someone/368925.md?page=2)