a dime a dozen
12
3.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
muy común
- In the historic Civic Park neighborhood of Flint, empty homes and vacant lots are a dime a dozen.
OK, and ideas are a dime a dozen, but can you make your ideas a reality?
- OK, and ideas are a dime a dozen, but can you make your ideas a reality?
- The people who are experts in their field are a dime a dozen.
- Such hustlers were a dime a dozen, and all of his former friends and colleagues are either dead or in prison now.
- And that's all it is to it, because nowadays, visual movies are a dime a dozen.
Examples
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After the economic collapse, housing will be a dime a dozen.
Blog text (13) -
OK, and ideas are a dime a dozen, but can you make your ideas a reality?
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Girls like that are a dime a dozen.
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But studies are a dime a dozen, and there are always more studies that seem to say otherwise.
Blog text (32) -
Talk is cheap, and ideas are a dime a dozen, especially in the Middle East.
Blog text (23) -
Good teachers are worth their weight in gold; experts are a dime a dozen.
Academic text (2006) -
She said lawyers here are a dime a dozen... and are having a hard time just like everybody else.
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These days, stars like Dorothy Brock are a dime a dozen.
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Because of Craigslist now, pianos are a dime a dozen, says William Glesner, owner of A-1 Piano Service in Ross.
Blog text (12) -
In a city like New York, coffee shops are a dime a dozen.
Synonyms
1
8.6
Very common and not worth much
Very common and not worth much
Very common and not worth much
Antonyms
How Common
51
9.0
48
2.5
- Informal
12
3.2
797
1.0
122
4.6
582
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'dime' (a low-value coin) and 'dozen' (twelve) can hint at a low per-item price, so a learner might infer a sense of cheapness or abundance from the parts. However, the leap from literal cheapness to the idiomatic meaning 'very common / of little value' is culturally specific and not fully predictable, so prior exposure is usually needed for the full sense.
Etymology
The idiom a dime a dozen may come from old American markets where everyday things were so cheap you could buy a dozen for a single dime. That clear picture of items being cheap and easy to find explains why the phrase means 'very common and of little value'.