Meaning & use
a dime a dozen
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Very common and therefore not special or valuable.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like 'be' or 'seem': 'Cheap umbrellas are a dime a dozen.'
Patterns
- something is a dime a dozen
- something seems a dime a dozen
In this city, coffee shops are a dime a dozen.
Good ideas are a dime a dozen; hard work is rare.
Those plastic toys are a dime a dozen at the market.
Common combinations
- become a dime a dozen
- Smartphones became a dime a dozen after 2010.
- are a dime a dozen
- Cheap flights are a dime a dozen these days.
- seem a dime a dozen
- His excuses seem a dime a dozen.
Synonyms and how they differ
- common
- Neutral word meaning happening often; 'a dime a dozen' adds the idea of low value.
- ten a penny
- British equivalent with the same meaning and informal tone.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a dime a dozen' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means something is very common and not special. In Hollywood, actors are indeed very common. Option 0 is wrong because expensive things are not common. Option 2 is wrong because 'a dime a dozen' is not a physical object you can buy. Option 3 is wrong because 'unique' is the opposite of common.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a dime a dozen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.