penny-ante

Origin

penny ante

noun
1.
Cards. a game of poker in which the ante or basic bet is one cent.
2.
Informal. any business arrangement or transaction involving a trifling or paltry sum of money.

Origin:
1850–55, Americanism

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Penny-ante is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

pen·ny-an·te

[pen-ee-an-tee]
adjective Informal.
1.
involving a trifling sum of money; small in amount: a penny-ante investment.
2.
inconsiderable; minor; small-time.

Origin:
1930–35, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

penny-ante
"cheap, trivial," 1935, from penny + ante (q.v.), in ref. to poker played for insignificant stakes.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

penny-ante definition


  1. mod.
    trivial; cheap. (See also ante.) : I'm sick of this penny-ante stuff. Let's get serious.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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