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

penny-ante

[pen-ee-an-tee] /ˈpɛn iˈæn ti/
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
Examples from the web for penny ante
  • Believe it or not, he started on the stock market and began playing penny ante bridge on the trains commuting.
  • It was penny ante compared to what was really going on, it was nothing.
Word Origin and History for penny ante

penny-ante

adj.

"cheap, trivial," 1935; extended from use in reference to poker played for insignificant stakes (1855), from penny + ante.

Slang definitions & phrases for penny ante

penny ante

adjective

: I despised his penny-ante ideas

noun phrase

A trivial transaction; a cheap offer, arrangement, etc (1935+)

[fr the minimal ante required in a cheap poker game]