nickel-and-dime
[ nik-uhl-uhn-dahym ]
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.
Origin of nickel-and-dime
1First recorded in 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nickel-and-dime in a sentence
Of course, Bernard Madoff makes Mr. Ponzi look like a nickel-and-dime grifter.
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