Short Change

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Being 'short changed' today means receiving less change back from an exchange than you should. Originally, an unscrupulous shopkeeper would distract a customer while they carefully sawed a coin or two in half. From a casual glance, nothing would seem amis, but should the coin be turned, the pattern would be found only on one side, and the coin would be noticably shorter than usual. In this way, the shopkeeper effectively doubled the money in his till.

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