nickel and dime

See also: nickel-and-dime

English

WOTD – 21 November 2007

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌnɪkəl ən ˈdaɪm/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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Alternative forms

• nickel-and-dime

Etymology 1

From the names of two US coins of small value.

Adjective

nickel and dime

1. (US, idiomatic, colloquial) 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

nickel and dime (third-person singular simple present nickel and dimes or nickels and dimes, present participle nickel and diming or nickeling and diming or nickelling and diming, simple past and past participle nickel and dimed or nickeled and dimed or nickelled and dimed)

1. (US, idiomatic, colloquial) 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.

   • 2023 October 11, Elaine Glusac, “‘Spending Money to Get Nothing’: The Latest on Resort Fees”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Even as resort fees are under fire, the nickel-and-diming of travelers that airlines have adopted is seeping into hotel operations. Things that used to be complimentary, such as early check-in or late check-out, now often carry associated fees.

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

See also

• fleece

Etymology 2

From prison or criminal slang

Noun

nickel and dime

1. (US, slang) Fifteen years.

Etymology 3

After retail stores where “everything costs a nickel or a dime”

Noun

nickel and dime (plural nickel and dimes)

1. (US and Canada) A retail store selling inexpensive items, especially one in which all items have a price near a nickel (US five cents) or a dime (US ten cents)

   Synonyms: five and ten, five and dime

See also

• dollar store