Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 14:26:34 -0600

From: Dan Goodman dsgood[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]VISI.COM

Subject: case Õcoinþ



From the Stumpers list -- help a librarian, and maybe suggest some

books which answer such questions.



Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 12:30:18 +0000 (UT)

From: THOMPSON.TRACI.WILSON[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DCC001.ncdcc.cc.nc.us

To: stumpers-l[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]crf.cuis.edu

Subj: ? case nickels and quarters

Hello! How good is anyone out there with dialect and/or slang

questions? This is not for a patron, just for the curiosity (and

adding of knowledge) of the librarians here. Several of our patrons

use the term "case nickel" or "case quarter" when asking for change.

For example, someone will give us two dimes and a nickel and ask for a

"case quarter." No one who works here has ever heard this expression

before, and we think perhaps it is a colloquialism, especially since

everyone but me is not from this area. I am from one county over, and

I've never heard anyone use this term either. We have gathered that

the meaning is a "whole quarter" or nickel versus the smaller change,

but we would love to know more about the origins of this. Does anyone

have any knowledge that might help? We have checked dictionaries,

including slang and unconventional english, with no luck. We are too

small and poor to have an OED. (Does anyone know if OED is on the

net?) If it helps, we are located in Wilson, North Carolina. Please

send any responses directly to me, if possible. Thank everyone very

much! :)



Traci Thompson, Assistant Librarian, Wilson Technical Community

College

*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*

| Wilson Technical Community College

|

| Wilson, NC

|

| thompson.traci.wilson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dcc001.ncdcc.cc.nc.us

|

| Telephone: (919) 291-1195 Fax: (919) 243-7148

|

*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*





Dan Goodman

dsgood[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]visi.com

http://www.visi.com/~dsgood/index.html

When the death penalty is outlawed, only outlaws will die.