As we prepare for Easter, I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive on a few common phrases that connect to the holiday through eggs, birds and bunnies. Not to further the debate on which came first, the chicken or the egg, I am starting with the egg!
A dime a dozen is a common phrase to describe how easy something is to find or obtain. There is an abundant amount of a particular item and quite often, the value of said item is much less.
It is believed the phrase was coined (get it…hahaha) in the 1800s after the dime was minted in 1796. Vendors would often advertise their goods, such as eggs and other goods, selling them for the low price of a dime for a dozen. At the time, dime a dozen was often used to describe getting a good deal on a product.
Over time, the phrase did a 180 on the meaning, evolving into the negative connotation it is today. The first known use of the current context was sometime in 1930, and it has snowballed since then. All I know is with the continuing trade wars going on between Canada and the United States, I wish we had the low price of a dime a dozen…especially for eggs!
