penny ante en · NOUN
Etymology
From penny + ante.
Meanings
- (uncountable) A small stake in gambling.
-
(uncountable) Poker played for small stakes.
A few aging men tiptoed in [...] men who had been Bert's companions at drinking or pennyante while the world passed them by.
1949, Dorothy M. Johnson, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 90:
- (uncountable) A small-scale business transaction.