nickel-and-dime

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

nickel-and-dime
    adj 1: of minor importance; "a nickel-and-dime operation run out
           of a single rented room"; "a small-time actor" [syn:
           {nickel-and-dime}, {small-time}]
    2: low-paying; "a nickel-and-dime job"
    v 1: spend money frugally; spend as little as possible [syn:
         {penny-pinch}, {nickel-and-dime}]
    2: accumulate gradually; "she nickeled-and-dimed together a
       small house for her family"

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

nickel-and-dime \nick"el-and-dime"\, 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]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

nickel-and-dime \nick"el-and-dime"\, 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]