Definition of "nickel and dime" in English

Adjective

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

   • 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.

Verb

1. 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.

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

Noun

1. Fifteen years.

Noun

1. 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).