quarter

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quarter

Two bits. This in turn comes from the "pieces of eight" famed in pirate movies - Spanish silver crowns that could be broken into eight pie-slice-shaped "bits" to make change. Early in American history the Spanish coin was considered equal to a dollar, so each of these "bits" was considered worth 12.5 cents. Usage: rare.

Synonyms: tayste, crumb, quad.

See also nickle, nibble, byte, dynner.

[Jargon File]

(1995-01-25)