penny-ante
[pen-ee-an-tee]
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 to 1930–35
penny ante
noun
Origin of penny ante
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for penny-ante
lesser, narrow-minded, frivolous, minor, little, slight, scratch, shallow, inessential, lower, base, peanut, light, small, subordinate, secondary, junior, inferior, trifling, shoestringExamples from the Web for penny-ante
Contemporary Examples of penny-ante
No, not the penny-ante conspiracy Hillary Clinton first floated back in the 90s.
He should stop wasting his time taunting Rick Perry with penny-ante bets and put his lucre to good use.
Historical Examples of penny-ante
Its nothing but penny-ante, with a ten-cent limit; just enough to make it interesting, you know.
The New Boys at OakdaleMorgan Scott
He was lured into a game of penny-ante poker, which assumed, before the game was finished, extensive proportions.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper