Nickel-and-dime

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  nickel-and-dime
       adj 1: of minor importance; "a nickel-and-dime operation run out of
              a single rented room"; "a small-time actor" [syn: {small-time}]
       2: low-paying; "a nickel-and-dime job" [syn: {nickel-and-dime(a)}]
       v 1: spend money frugally; spend as little as possible [syn: {penny-pinch}]
       2: accumulate gradually; "she nickeled-and-dimed together a
          small house for her family"