dime dropper en · NOUN
Etymology
From the idea of dropping a dime (coin) into a payphone to make a call.
Meanings
-
(US, slang) A snitch or informer.
Although this story predated the Kunkle episode, something told me that with dime-droppers afoot, both men and women naturally become more cautious. After all, informality could be misinterpreted, and as the Navy puts it, discovery in these cases is a "career ender."
2005, Richard F. Miller, A Carrier at War: On Board the USS Kitty Hawk in the Iraq War:“We go to the streets, a few dime droppers just got released yesterday, they still might know something"
2009, Abisai Estrella, A Reason for Retribution, page 193:All those submitted complaint forms from the snitches, rats, and dime droppers about us "The Cash Bunch " and our ruling profitable empire, marking us as nigger misfits, drug smuggling monkeys tarnishing the prestige omega oasis of Wilhelm Prep and what have you.
2016, Jermar Jerome Smith, Shawty:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dime-dropper | alternative | lexicographic | |
| dime droppers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |