Learn how to use the phrase "a dime a dozen”.Check out the "Singlish with Josh" YouTube channel and website.

Episode Script:
“Podcasts like this are a dime a dozen”

Welcome to “ESL with Josh” - a podcast that will help you to speak more like a native English speaker. In this episode, we will consider the phrase “a dime a dozen” - what does it mean and how do we use it?

“A dime a dozen” is an idiom, which means that this phrase has a meaning unrelated to the words found in it. ”A dime a dozen” does NOT refer to a coin. ”A dime a dozen” does NOT mean that ten equals twelve.

“A dime a dozen” DOES mean simply common or a little value.

In 1796 the United States began making a coin worth 1/10th of a dollar. This 10-cent coin was introduced as a dime. In the 1800s, some merchants began advertising the cost of their products using the phrase, a dime a dozen, which means that you can purchase 12 for 10 cents. For example, 12 eggs for 10 cents or 12 apples for 10 cents. Merchants would use the phrase a dime a dozen to promote the good value for the money. Over time, the phrase began to be used to refer to something very common and therefore of little value.

Here are a few examples:

• Reality shows on TV are a dime a dozen these days.
• Diet programs are a dime a dozen, and it seems none of them have lasting results.
• Medical face masks used to be hard to find, but now they are a dime a dozen.
• Casual friends are a dime a dozen, but real friends are hard to find.

Now it is time to take a quiz. 
Which of the following sentences use the idiom correctly?

1. I will give you a dime for a dozen pennies.
2. I have never seen a unicorn before. They must be a dime a dozen.
3. How many coins do you have? A dime? A dozen? A hundred?
4. Coffee shops in big cities are a dime a dozen.

What do you think? 
The only correct sentence is number 4.

Now it’s time for the Joke of the Day
Why can’t a bicycle stand up?
It’s two tired.

Thanks for listening!

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