nickel-and-dime Hear it!

nickel-and-dime definition

☆ nickel-and-dime (nik′əl ən dīm′)

adjective

  1. costing or spending little; cheap
  2. of little value or importance; minor; petty

transitive verb nickel- (or nickeled-)and-dimed nick′el- (or nick′eled-)and-dimed′, nickel- (or nickeling-)and-diming nick′el- (or nick′eling-)and-dim′ing

  1. to spend very little on
  2. to weaken, erode, destroy, etc. as by the repeated expenditure of small sums or repeated niggling actions

intransitive verb

to spend very little
nickel-and-dime Idioms

nickel-and-dime it

to succeed or obtain something gradually by the repeated expenditure of small sums or the slow gathering of votes, power, money, etc. in small increments

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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