penny ante
1 Americannoun
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Cards. a game of poker in which the ante or basic bet is one cent.
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Informal. any business arrangement or transaction involving a trifling or paltry sum of money.
adjective
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involving a trifling sum of money; small in amount.
a penny-ante investment.
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inconsiderable; minor; small-time.
Etymology
Origin of penny ante1
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Origin of penny-ante2
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And yes, it was penny ante, another irony.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2021
The example of this article deals with lobsters - pretty penny ante stuff - but the principles apply to all trade.
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2017
The Watergate investigation took two years, and it was of a penny ante burglary down the street from the White House.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2017
He dismissed them at first as "penny ante" stuff.
From Time Magazine Archive
The limit was set at ten cents, and it was to be a regular penny ante game.
From Frank Merriwell's Chums by Standish, Burt L.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
