Why is a kiss called a Yankee Dime?

The phrase is thought to have originated in Texas after the War for Southern Independence, but some believe that it has older origins. A "Yankee dime" refers to a kiss that is of a trifling nature such as a brief peck on the cheek. It is often used to describe an insincere show of affection in the nature of a perfunctory kiss. To say that something "isn't worth a Yankee dime" is typically a put down. Remember, all things Yankee were, and to some extent remain, out of favor in Texas since the end of the war.

Some would posit that there is an even less generous genesis behind the use of the phrase. Yankees were widely thought to be commercial to the point of crassness in more genteel circles in the South. Associating a kiss as a form of payment has muted undertones that hint of the sale of affection. Given the genteel nature of the numerous Texas belles of all ages that I heard use this term frequently during my youth, I doubt that the phrase has such a scandalous origin.