on a dime
10
6.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
en un instante
- Yet things have turned on a dime in the past and can do so again.
- turn on a dime
- stop on a dime
- change on a dime
And a big ship doesn't turn on a dime, it turns in increments.
- And a big ship doesn't turn on a dime, it turns in increments.
- And I guess the experiment was, you know, can I adjust on a dime on the day?
- And so the fact that someone that I don't even know could make a decision that could affect my life on a dime terrified me.
- Once I mastered this technique, I could shut down my emotional squirrel reaction on a dime.
- But the bit is, here's where the fucking losers, the movie star wannabes, flipped on a dime.
- It's just amazing the way they will switch teams on a dime and it's it's it's first of all, it's kind of childish.
- And suddenly, on a dime, she's facing the press that used to face the Trump press secretary, right?
- That diet is so damaging that if you could just fix the nutrition, the gap in healthcare disparities would change almost on a dime.
Examples
-
It's a beautiful example of how you can turn your life around on a dime when you have the power to let go of anything in your life.
-
Life can change on a dime.
-
But the current system will not turn on a dime, and such a comprehensive strategy would not bear fruit for decades.
Academic text (2008) -
The market was roaring upwards, and then on a dime, everything crashed.
Blog text (34) -
Ted turns on a dime and runs smack into Sigfried, who's been taking in the whole conversation.
Fiction book (1995) -
The Bullitt may be 8 feet long, but it turns on a dime (assuming a competent rider).
Blog text (7) -
She can adapt her plans on a dime when new information arises.
-
The driver was skilled enough to turn the car on a dime to avoid the obstacle.
-
His attitude changed on a dime as soon as he heard the good news.
Synonyms
50
3.3
Very quickly, in almost no time
35
2.5
Very quickly in a single moment
14
5.3
Quickly while you do something, without planning
1
3.5
Very quickly, in an instant
1
2.0
Happen very fast
Happens very quickly
In a very short time
Antonyms
How Quickly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase relies on a metaphorical image: turning 'on a dime' evokes doing something within the very small space of a dime (a tiny US coin), so the sense of a very quick or precise action is partially derivable from the constituents. However, the mapping is culturally specific (requires knowing what a dime is and the image of a tiny turning radius) and the idiomatic use is not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
On a dime may come from old drivers who said a car could turn in the space of a small coin, the dime. So when something happens on a dime, imagine a quick, exact turn in a very small space, and it means 'very quickly' or 'very precisely'.