# YA NFL question: how did "drop a dime" come to mean "accurate"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [October 31, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376 "2023-10-31T15:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/1 "2023-10-31T15:50:17Z")
Back in the day (yes, I’m an old person) the phrase “drop a dime” meant “report to the authorities.” That’s because, back in the stone age when phones were not carried in one’s pocket, it cost a dime to use a pay phone, and stoolies dropped a dime in the pay phone to call the police to report a crime. Lately I’ve heard NFL broadcasters use “drop a dime” when the QB makes a particularly accurate pass to a receiver. How did that come to be the phrase used? It doesn’t make any sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/2 "2023-10-31T15:54:06Z")
The expression “turn on a dime” (dime representing small size rather than money) could be used with reference to the agile maneuvers of the receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/3 "2023-10-31T15:55:24Z")
Drop ON a dime is what I’ve heard. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/4 "2023-10-31T15:56:05Z")
AFAIC, dimes are accurate passes, probably related to being able to hit the smallest coin at a distance. It represents the ability to hit a small target or thread the needle. There are other possible origins, including 10 out of 10. Throwing a dime lends itself to saying “drop a dime” since that phrase is already in use. It’s also used in the NBA (basketball in general) to represent accurate passes and assists. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/5 "2023-10-31T20:18:43Z")
In the NBA really great passes that lead to an assist on a bucket have been called “dimes” for a long time. The NFL is simply appropriating the term for its passes. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/6 "2023-10-31T20:33:04Z")
When I played high school soccer years ago there were guys on the team who complimented my play by saying “He can pass on a dime!” Meaning I made very accurate passes. I was known for similarly badass passing in basketball, too but I played varsity soccer and only playground b-ball. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ya-nfl-question-how-did-drop-a-dime-come-to-mean-accurate/992376/7 "2023-10-31T20:45:51Z")
Possibly also related to phrases like “stop on a dime” and the idea of great precision and control.