dime dropper

English

Etymology

From the idea of dropping a dime (coin) into a payphone to make a call.

Noun

dime dropper (plural dime droppers)

1. (US, slang) A snitch or informer.
   • 2005, Richard F. Miller, A Carrier at War: On Board the USS Kitty Hawk in the Iraq War:

     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."

   • 2009, Abisai Estrella, A Reason for Retribution, page 193:

     “We go to the streets, a few dime droppers just got released yesterday, they still might know something"

   • 2016, Jermar Jerome Smith, Shawty:

     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.

Alternative forms

• dime-dropper

See also

• drop a dime