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Entry 4 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

nickel-and-dime

· nick·el-and-dime · IPA
01 v. t. To harass or annoy with petty demands or for trivial reasons;
imp. & p. p. nickel-and-dimed; p. pr. & vb. n. nickel-and-diming
  1. 1.
    To harass or annoy with petty demands or for trivial reasons;
  2. 2.
    To weaken or impair gradually or by small steps; as, to be nickel-and-dimed into bankruptcy by the operating overhead.[informal]
02 a. Trivial; unimportant; petty; as, nickel-and-dime criticisms.
  1. 1.
    Trivial; unimportant; petty; as, nickel-and-dime criticisms.[informal]
  2. 2.
    Involving only small amounts of money; small-time; as, a nickel-and-dime business operation.[informal]