Meaning of short bit in English:
short bit
noun
dialect USA unit of monetary value equal to ten cents (now historical).
The precise value of a bit is one-eighth of a dollar or twelve and a half cents. Because there has never been a U.S. coin worth exactly this amount, in transactions involving a sum of one bit it was customary to accept amounts of slightly greater or smaller value than this.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in New Albany (Indiana) Daily Ledger.
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