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View synonyms for two-bit
two-bit
[too-bit]
adjective
Slang.
costing twenty-five cents.
inferior or unimportant; small-time.
a two-bit actor.
two-bit
adjective
worth next to nothing; cheap
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Word History and Origins
Origin of two-bit1
An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805
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Word History and Origins
Origin of two-bit1
C20: from the phrase two bits a small sum
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When To Use
What does two-bit mean?
Two-bit means inferior, cheap, worthless, or insignificant.The term is perhaps most commonly used to negatively describe a person considered to be a small-time hack—someone who’s not good at what they do due to having a very low level of talent or skill. It’s especially used as an insult applied to people who have a high opinion of themselves to call them out as being far inferior in reality.Describing something as two-bit means it’s low-quality. This is especially applied to products.This sense of two-bit is based on its literal meaning: costing 25 cents. The term two bits means 25 cents. It’s based on the sense of the word bit that refers to one eighth of a U.S. dollar, or 12 ½ cents. However, monetary amounts counted in bits were only ever given in multiples of two, as in two bits and six bits. Two bits became an informal way of referring to the value of the 25-cent coin known as the quarter. It then came to be used in a general way meaning a small amount. It’s still sometimes used this way, especially in negative statements, as in That piece of junk isn’t worth two bits or That job is like a vacation—I’d do it for two bits.Two-bit is always used before the noun it describes.Example: That two-bit manager is running this company into the ground.
Two-bit means inferior, cheap, worthless, or insignificant.The term is perhaps most commonly used to negatively describe a person considered to be a small-time hack—someone who’s not good at what they do due to having a very low level of talent or skill. It’s especially used as an insult applied to people who have a high opinion of themselves to call them out as being far inferior in reality.Describing something as two-bit means it’s low-quality. This is especially applied to products.This sense of two-bit is based on its literal meaning: costing 25 cents. The term two bits means 25 cents. It’s based on the sense of the word bit that refers to one eighth of a U.S. dollar, or 12 ½ cents. However, monetary amounts counted in bits were only ever given in multiples of two, as in two bits and six bits. Two bits became an informal way of referring to the value of the 25-cent coin known as the quarter. It then came to be used in a general way meaning a small amount. It’s still sometimes used this way, especially in negative statements, as in That piece of junk isn’t worth two bits or That job is like a vacation—I’d do it for two bits.Two-bit is always used before the noun it describes.Example: That two-bit manager is running this company into the ground.
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