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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Quote:
'Top Dollar'
This is one that, I feel certain, has strayed far from its origin.
I have only a guess that relates to the practice of keeping a stack of folded bills in a money clip.
It was customary to put the larger (better) bills on the inside so as not to reveal your true wealth. Most transactions required simply 'peeling' a bill(s) off the folded stack.
If your purchase was more substantial you would need to:
a. unfold the wad
b. remove some of the bills on the top of the stack
The TOP DOLLARS, eh?
What thinkest thee [sic]?
Seems like it would be inside dollar. I'd say it was more just top meaning highest and dollar just meaning money.
What thinkest thou?
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636 |
Quote:
I have only a guess that relates to the practice of keeping a stack of folded bills in a money clip.
It was customary to put the larger (better) bills on the inside so as not to reveal your true wealth
That might be true for rich skinflints. Poor richman-wannabes would put the largest bill they can on top and fill the rest with small bills in hopes that people will think they are more affluent than they really are. That would give a more logical meaning to "top dollar" as well. Ever hear of a "Michigan Bankroll"? It's a thick wad of nothing but ones. Tourism is big business in Michigan and if you work in the service industry, you are usually in possesion of a Michigan Bankroll, for a little bit anyway, until you get your bills paid... 
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I thought top dollar was taken from stock market trade.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 631
addict
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addict
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 631 |
Quote:
I always assumed it was from penny-ante poker, i.e., low-stakes games of chance.
Wikipedia agrees with you. Here's their two cents.
Last edited by Hydra; 11/16/06 03:04 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
And then there's "bottom dollar." I'd bet my bottom dollar it means "last," not the opposite of "top" (wherever that comes from!).
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