[Dixielandjazz] Jazz In New Orleans

[Robert Ringwald]

When I was a kid, my dad used to use the expression "two bits", meaning 25 
cents.

--Bob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James O'Briant" <jobriant at garlic.com>
To: "Bob Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz In New Orleans


> Dave Richoux wrote:
>
>> The locals say it sort of like PICKY-YOON (rhymes with Moon)
>> http://www.forvo.com/word/picayune/  is close.
>> the word means: Small or nit-picky (It was a Spanish coin
>> worth more than a nickel and less than a dime-- 6 1/4 cents
>> to be precise)
>
> This is part of the same monetary system as "two bits."  Spanish
> Dollars were often cut into eight pieces ("pieces of eight"), and
> each piece was a "bit," valued at 12 1/2 cents. A quarter of a
> dollar was four bits, a half a dollar was four bits, etc.
>
> A picayune was half a bit, or 6 1/4 cents.
>
> Jim O'Briant
> Gilroy, CA
> Tubist and fount of useless trivia
>
>
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