penny ante
noun
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.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of penny ante
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Words nearby penny ante
Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvanian, Penn, William, penny, penny-a-liner, penny ante, penny arcade, Penny Black, pennyboy, pennycress, penny dreadful
Definition for penny ante (2 of 2)
penny-ante
[ pen-ee-an-tee ]
/ ˈpɛn iˈæn ti /
adjective Informal.
involving a trifling sum of money; small in amount: a penny-ante investment.
inconsiderable; minor; small-time.
Origin of penny-ante
An Americanism dating back to1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for penny ante
No, not the penny-ante conspiracy Hillary Clinton first floated back in the 90s.
The Kremlin’s Favorite Anti-Gay Hate Group is Coming to Utah|Jay Michaelson|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEASTHe should stop wasting his time taunting Rick Perry with penny-ante bets and put his lucre to good use.
Its nothing but penny-ante, with a ten-cent limit; just enough to make it interesting, you know.
The New Boys at Oakdale|Morgan ScottHe was lured into a game of penny-ante poker, which assumed, before the game was finished, extensive proportions.