'nickel-and-dime' definitions:
Definition of 'nickel-and-dime'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Of minor importance; "a nickel-and-dime operation run out of a single rented room"; "a small-time actor" [syn: nickel-and-dime, small-time]
adjective
Low-paying; "a nickel-and-dime job"
verb
Spend money frugally; spend as little as possible [syn: penny-pinch, nickel-and-dime]
verb
Accumulate gradually; "she nickeled-and-dimed together a small house for her family"
Definition of 'nickel-and-dime'
From: GCIDE
- nickel-and-dime \nick"el-and-dime"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. nickel-and-dimed or nickeled-and-dimed; p. pr. & vb. n. nickel-and-diming or nickeling-and-diming.]
- 1. To harass or annoy with petty demands or for trivial reasons; specifically, to insist on minor concessions in a negotiation. [PJC]
- 2. To weaken or impair gradually or by small steps; as, to be nickel-and-dimed into bankruptcy by the operating overhead. [informal] [PJC]
Definition of 'nickel-and-dime'
From: GCIDE
- nickel-and-dime \nick"el-and-dime"\, a.
- 1. Trivial; unimportant; petty; as, nickel-and-dime criticisms. [informal] [PJC]
- 2. Involving only small amounts of money; small-time; as, a nickel-and-dime business operation. [informal] [PJC]