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.
Twitter employees were hit by two bits of tough news over the weekend — and only one was foreseeable.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023
Baugh said he and his crew mates owed their survival to two bits of luck.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2022
"When interviewed as part of the investigation, Pupil A stated that 'it is not mine, the last two bits are not mine'," the report said.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2022
In any case, by 1928, the menu at O’Dell’s, on Figueroa Street in South L.A., was offering a cheeseburger with chili for two bits.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2022
He sold them to us for two bits.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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.
