Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 14:05:16 -0600

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

Subject: case coins--thanks



Thanks -- I've passed this along to the Stumpers list, where the

original question was asked.

I did have to "translate" DARE; otherwise, some of the people on that

list would probably have thought of the anti-drug group and a couple

might have wondered if it referred to a novel by Philip Jose Farmer.



And now I should probably find out where in North Carolina Wilson is.



Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 15:55:55 -0500

From: Jesse T Sheidlower jester[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PANIX.COM

Subject: Re: case Ucoin~



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



_DARE_ has an entry for this, defined as "A coin of a particular

denomination as against the same amount of money comprised of

several coins," with cites back to 1954. It's identified as chiefly

South Carolina, with additional informants from Alabama and Georgia.

I have only heard it personally in the last several years, generally

from black informants.



Jesse Sheidlower



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.