put a nickel in someone
v. phr.— «I had figured all along that I was going to do something with my freedom after retirement. But nobody put a nickel in me to make me dance.» —“Dreamed Of Retirement But Found Another Job” by Thomas Collins Hartford Courant (Connecticut) Nov. 18, 1956. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it’s the young Mary Anning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from seaside...