a. 1. Trivial; unimportant; petty; as, nickel-and-dime criticisms. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

2. Involving only small amounts of money; small-time; as, a nickel-and-dime business operation. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. nickel-and-dimed or nickeled-and-dimed p. pr. & vb. n. nickel-and-diming or nickeling-and-diming. ] 1. To harass or annoy with petty demands or for trivial reasons; specifically, to insist on minor concessions in a negotiation. [ PJC ]

2. To weaken or impair gradually or by small steps; as, to be nickel-and-dimed into bankruptcy by the operating overhead. [ informal ] [ PJC ]