(US, _, slang) The national speed limit of 55 miles per hour introduced in the USA in 1974.
(US, _, slang) The national speed limit of 55 miles per hour introduced in the USA in 1974.
But in 1982 they found a loophole: Keep the double-nickel speed limit, but effectively allow motorists to drive up to 65 by designating that speed a “waste of a finite resource” and setting the fine at $15.
"double-nickel" means: The national speed limit of 55 miles per hour introduced in the USA in 1974.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"double-nickel" means: The national speed limit of 55 miles per hour introduced in the USA in 1974.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(slang) Interstate highway 5.
(US, slang, by extension) Five dollars.
A trucker and highway slang term for Interstate 5 — the major north-south freeway running along the US West Coast from the Canadian border down to Mexico. 'Nickel' is CB radio and trucker shorthand for I-5 (the number 5), and 'hot' references either the heavy traffic flow or the intense heat of the California stretches. If you're a long-haul driver rolling through California, Oregon, or Washington, you know exactly what someone means when they say they're riding the hot nickel.
"double-nickel" means: The national speed limit of 55 miles per hour introduced in the USA in 1974.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used
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(US, _, slang) The number 55 (by extension).
Peckinpah is just as interested in the old golf-cart codger who says “Damn the double-nickel!” (in reference to the 55mph speed limit) as he is in Duck or Lyle, and much more so than in Ali MacGraw’s character, along for the ride and mar…
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(with dummy it) To travel at 55 miles per hour.
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