What does you turn on a dime mean?

[mainly US] to suddenly do something completely different from what you were doing before. Nowadays businesses need to be flexible and to change, and sometimes to turn on a dime in order to stay competitive.

Where does the expression turn on a dime come from?

The phrase “turn on a dime” evolved from the phrase “turn on a five-cent piece,” which was used as early as 1881 to refer to a well-trained horse. In the 1920s, the phrase “playing on a dime” referred to a baseball fielder who could not cover much ground.

Where did the phrase stop on a dime come from?

It looks like Ford copyrighted the phrase “Flivvers can stop on a dime” in 1921. The Ford Model T was nicknamed the flivver. Literally, it means nothing. Figuratively, the dime was at the time and still is the smallest coin regularly in circulation, so it means in the smallest measure of space.

Who said life can turn on a dime?

“Get off the dime” dates back to the days of dance halls and “taxi dancers,” women employed by the halls to dance with strangers, usually for ten cents per dance (a grim occupation immortalized in the 1930 Rodgers and Hart song “Ten Cents a Dance”).

Which president appears on the dime?

The dime is the United States’ 10-cent coin. The person on the obverse (heads) of the dime is Franklin D. Roosevelt, our 32nd president. He’s been on the dime since 1946.

Is it stop on a dime or turn on a dime?

If something or someone turns on a dime, they suddenly change completely or do something completely different from what they were doing before. Note: A dime is an American coin worth ten cents. Outdoors I heard the rain stop on a dime. …

What does a dime symbolize?

Many people feel that the dimes are a sign of communication from someone that has passed on, letting them know they are not alone. Some other interpretations of finding dimes are: – Someone or something is trying to get your attention. – The number 10 symbolizes a circle, so a dime might indicate coming full circle.

Why is Franklin Roosevelt on the dime?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt isn’t just honored on the coin’s face because he was the 32nd president of the United States. After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in April 1945, the Treasury Department decided to honor him by placing his portrait on a coin.

What does straightened out mean?

Definition of straighten out 1 : to make (something) straight or to become straight You need to straighten out your legs for this stretch. The river curves and then straightens out again. 2 : to make (something) organized or tidy : to put (something) in order He took time to straighten out the papers on his desk.