nickel and dime

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

   Near-synonyms: two-bit, ten-cent

   2 more examples

   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.

   Synonyms: two-bit, ten-cent

present singular third person nickel and dimes · present singular third person nickels and dimes · participle present nickel and diming · US participle present nickeling and diming · UK participle present nickelling and diming · participle past nickel and dimed · past nickel and dimed · US participle past nickeled and dimed · US past nickeled and dimed · UK participle past nickelled and dimed · UK past nickelled and dimed

1. UScolloquialidiomaticTo 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.

   2 more examples

   It seems like a great offer, but they will just nickel and dime you until you've spent more than retail anyway.

   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.

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

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

1. USslangFifteen years.

plural nickel and dimes

1. CanadaUSdatedA 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)

   Synonyms: five and ten, five-and-dime, five and dime, dollar store