Dictionary — ontologydriven

nickel and dime en · ADJ · etymology 1

From the names of two US coins of small value.

(US, colloquial, idiomatic) Small time; operating on a small scale; involving small amounts of money; petty or cheap.
- Near-synonyms: two-bit, ten-cent
- Don't waste your time with that; their operations are nickel and dime.
- I bought my new ride from some nickel and dime used-car salesman.

From the names of two US coins of small value.

(US, colloquial, idiomatic) 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.
- It seems like a great offer, but they will just nickel and dime you until you've spent more than retail anyway.
- I got nickel and dimed to death by the phone company's sneaky extra charges.
- 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:
(US, colloquial, figuratively, idiomatic) To wear down in small increments; to quibble or obsess endlessly with (someone) over trifles.

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
nickelled and dimed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	UK	lexicographic
nickelled and dimed	Tense=Past	UK	lexicographic
nickeling and diming	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	US	lexicographic
nickels and dimes	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres		lexicographic
nickelling and diming	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	UK	lexicographic
nickel and dimes	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres		lexicographic
nickel and dimed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
nickel and dimed	Tense=Past		lexicographic
nickeled and dimed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	US	lexicographic
nickeled and dimed	Tense=Past	US	lexicographic
nickel and diming	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic

From prison or criminal slang.

After retail stores where "everything costs a nickel or a dime".

(Canada, US, dated) 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)

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
nickel and dimes	Number=Plur		lexicographic