Meaning
What does Drop a Dime mean?
Drop a dime is a popular slang colloquialism, used synonymously to the act of snitching, regardless of whether it is Dry Snitching or not.
It may be used in relation to serious criminal activities, as well as everyday sibling snitching.
Origin
What's the origin of Drop a Dime?
“Drop a dime” originates from the act of dropping a coin into the slot of a public telephone to anonymously call the police and inform them.
Although the exact origin of the phrase is not known, its earliest written examples, used in the same context with the same meaning date back to the 1920’s.
Its popularity stayed low for several decades, until the 1960’s.
Spread & Usage
How did Drop a Dime spread?
“Drop a dime” started gaining a wider use during the second half of the 1900’s, as it even started to appear in movies, and television series.
An alternative version of “Drop a dime” was included in the 1994 song of The Notorious B.I.G., “Warning”, where the rapper encourages his friend to inform him about a conspiracy against him, with the phrase “Drop the caper”.
The expression was first defined on Urban Dictionary on April 15th, 2003, with countless other entries following in the subsequent years.