nickel-and-dime
[ nik-uh l-uh n-dahym ]
/ ˈnɪk əl ənˈdaɪm /
adjective
of little or no importance; trivial; petty: a nickel-and-dime business that soon folded.
verb (used with object), nick·el-and-dimed or nick·eled-and-dimed, nick·el-and-dim·ing or nick·el·ing-and-dim·ing.
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.
to hinder, annoy, or harass with trivialities or nonessentials: to be nickeled-and-dimed by petty criticisms.
Origin of nickel-and-dime
First recorded in 1965–70
Words nearby nickel-and-dime
nickel oxide,
nickel plate,
nickel silver,
nickel steel,
nickel tetracarbonyl,
nickel-and-dime,
nickel-cadmium battery,
nickel-plate,
nickelic,
nickelic oxide,
nickeliferous