tin medal
n.— «The prize of a gold medal for the best female skater was award to Miss Mamie McElwee, and the prize of a tin medal for the poorest male skater was given, in a joke, to a young gentleman who really skates excellently well.» —“The Rink Closed” The Landmark (Statesvill, N.C.) Mar. 24, 1882. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Matt in Beloit, Wisconsin, reports that when he was in high school back in the 1990s, he and his friends used the word biscuit in phrases like I feel like a biscuit or I bet you feel like a biscuit now, the idea being that someone said something...
Nikki in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares the story of a man who casually told passersby You dropped your pocket, prompting them to check for something that wasn’t there in the first place. That silly saying reminds her of playing pool and trying...