Cards. a game of poker in which the ante or basic bet is one cent.
Informal. any business arrangement or transaction involving a trifling or paltry sum of money.
involving a trifling sum of money; small in amount.
a penny-ante investment.
inconsiderable; minor; small-time.
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And yes, it was penny ante, another irony.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2021
The example of this article deals with lobsters - pretty penny ante stuff - but the principles apply to all trade.
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2017
The Watergate investigation took two years, and it was of a penny ante burglary down the street from the White House.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2017
He dismissed them at first as "penny ante" stuff.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I'll ride you any race you like, anywhere you like and at any time; provided it's a gentleman's game and not penny ante."
From The Short Cut by Johnson, Frank Tenney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
