two bits
Americannoun
Usage
What does two bits mean? Two bits is an old slang term for 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.It is also the basis of the informal adjective two-bit, meaning inferior, cheap, worthless, or insignificant.Two-bit is always used before the noun it describes. It’s 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.Example: My dad likes to tell me stories about how he used to be able to buy a whole lunch for two bits—and get change!
Etymology
Origin of two bits
An Americanism dating back to 1720–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I remember we were putting Vicks under our nose, one lad he coughed and two bits of orange peel shot out of his mask. He had put orange peel in to try and mask the smell."
From BBC
Thurman Munson, Sparky Lyle and the rest of the players were ordered to adhere to the old jingle, “Shave and a Haircut,” even if it cost more than “two bits.”
From Los Angeles Times
A version of this was staged in Two Bits’ Arts District spot.
From Los Angeles Times
Her femur was essentially two bits of bone held together by the metal rod.
From BBC
It is anticipated that the two bits of legislation will be signed off by MPs in the Commons in a matter of hours.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
