nickel-and-dime: Meaning and Definition of

nick•el-and-dime

Pronunciation: (nik'ul-un-dīm'), [key]
— adj., v., nick•el-and-dimedornick•eled-and-dimed, nick•el-and-dim•ingornick•el•ing-and-dim•ing.
—adj.
  1. of little or no importance; trivial; petty: a nickel-and-dime business that soon folded.
—v.t.
  1. to expose to financial hardship or bankruptcy by the accumulation of small expenses, bills, etc.: We're being nickel-and-dimed to death by these small weekly expenses.
  2. to hinder, annoy, or harass with trivialities or nonessentials: to be nickeled-and-dimed by petty criticisms.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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