nickel-and-dime
[ nik-uh l-uh n-dahym ]
/ ˈnɪk əl ənˈdaɪm /
adjective
of little or no importance; trivial; petty: a nickel-and-dime business that soon folded.
verb (used with object), nick·el-and-dimed or nick·eled-and-dimed, nick·el-and-dim·ing or nick·el·ing-and-dim·ing.
to expose to financial hardship or bankruptcy by the accumulation of small expenses, bills, etc.: We're being nickel-and-dimed to death by these small weekly expenses.
to hinder, annoy, or harass with trivialities or nonessentials: to be nickeled-and-dimed by petty criticisms.
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RELATED WORDS
lesser, narrow-minded, frivolous, minor, little, slight, scratch, shallow, inessential, lower, base, peanut, light, small, subordinate, secondary, junior, inferior, trifling, shoestring
Nearby words
- nickel oxide,
- nickel plate,
- nickel silver,
- nickel steel,
- nickel tetracarbonyl,
- nickel-cadmium battery,
- nickel-plate,
- nickelic,
- nickelic oxide,
- nickeliferous
Origin of nickel-and-dime
First recorded in 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019