dime-dropper

dime-dropper

One who snitches or informs on someone to a person of higher authority. Originally street slang for someone who informs to the police, it refers to the old price of using a public payphone (10 cents). Primarily heard in US. I bet Timmy's the dime-dropper—he's such a teacher's pet, always ready to tattle on any of the other students he thinks are misbehaving. He knew he was facing 10 years in prison, so he agreed to be a dime-dropper for the police in exchange for a lighter sentence. If the mob boss thinks you're the dime-dropper, you're a dead man!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dime-dropper

n. an informer. (see also drop a dime.) I think that Taylor is the dime-dropper who caused the roust.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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