nickel and dime

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Small time

   Small time; operating on a small scale; involving small amounts of money; petty or cheap.

   • Near-synonyms: two-bit, ten-cent
   • I bought my new ride from some nickel and dime used-car salesman.
   • Don't waste your time with that; their operations are nickel and dime.
2. 2

   To charge, or be charged, several unexpected small amounts of money, often in the form of…

   To charge, or be charged, several unexpected small amounts of money, often in the form of fees, taxes, or related expenses to a venture, which when taken as a whole add up to a significant unexpected cost.

   • I got nickel and dimed to death by the phone company's sneaky extra charges.
   • It seems like a great offer, but they will just nickel and dime you until you've spent more than retail anyway.
3. 3

   To wear down in small increments

   To wear down in small increments; to quibble or obsess endlessly with (someone) over trifles.

4. ›+ 2 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Fifteen years.

   2. 5

      A retail store selling inexpensive items, especially (originally, formerly) one in which…

      A retail store selling inexpensive items, especially (originally, formerly) one in which all items had a price near a nickel (US five cents) or a dime (US ten cents).

      • Near-synonym: dollar store (idiomatically synonymous in the 21st century)

The neighborhood