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Word: cards (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
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Usage:

...some foreign countries. Three and four get rounded to five; one and two get rounded to zero. Even Einstein would be hard-pressed to defeat that system. You round at the end, not item by item, and you wouldn't round at all if paying by check or credit card. Sure, Dunkin' Donuts could price a cup of coffee at 98[cents] and round up. But two cups would cost $1.96, which means rounding down. And what makes you think retailers don't already charge as much as they...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: A Penny Saved... | 8/9/1999 | See Source »

...shrieked, grabbing him and tossing his backpack into the seat next to her. "Please stay there and just hold on to your card. We'll see the White House...

Author: By Victoria C. Hallett, | Title: A Native's Guide to Tourist-Watching | 8/6/1999 | See Source »

Start your day of tourist-spotting at Metro fare card machines...

Author: By Victoria C. Hallett, | Title: A Native's Guide to Tourist-Watching | 8/6/1999 | See Source »

...constant clogging of the Metro system by clueless tourists, but blame the geniuses who created the most confusing form of mass transportation in the nation, maybe even the world. The system charges different amounts for every trip, implements other prices at rush hour and forces passengers to use their cards to get both in and out of the stations. Locals have no trouble with this, but out-of-towners tend to stand around the machines helplessly flailing their arms, many hoping their more technically inclined children will figure out what to do. For an especially good view, I recommend...

Author: By Victoria C. Hallett, | Title: A Native's Guide to Tourist-Watching | 8/6/1999 | See Source »

Just in case a family does manage to acquire the right number of cards with the right amount for their family to reach a desired destination, D.C. puts up one more obstacle. To enter a station's gates, one must slide the card into a slot with a precise force. Tourists, much to my amusement and their dismay, are usually unable to perform this task with grace. Harried Hill workers tend to groan at these naive masses to just get through the gate or get out of the way, but I think the scene is kind of endearing...

Author: By Victoria C. Hallett, | Title: A Native's Guide to Tourist-Watching | 8/6/1999 | See Source »

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