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.
QUIZZES
DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?
"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
Origin of nickel-and-dime
First recorded in 1965–70
Words nearby nickel-and-dime
nickel oxide, nickel plate, nickel silver, nickel steel, nickel tetracarbonyl, nickel-and-dime, nickel-cadmium battery, nickel-plate, nickelic, nickelic oxide, nickeliferous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020