penny ante
1 Americannoun
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Cards. a game of poker in which the ante or basic bet is one cent.
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Informal. any business arrangement or transaction involving a trifling or paltry sum of money.
adjective
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involving a trifling sum of money; small in amount.
a penny-ante investment.
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inconsiderable; minor; small-time.
Etymology
Origin of penny ante1
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Origin of penny-ante2
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And yes, it was penny ante, another irony.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2021
The example of this article deals with lobsters - pretty penny ante stuff - but the principles apply to all trade.
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2017
The Watergate investigation took two years, and it was of a penny ante burglary down the street from the White House.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2017
Obviously a game of penny ante has delayed them.
From Time Magazine Archive
I couldn't blow in until after work, but even as late as it was, I won $4.90 at penny ante, and it tickled me most to death.
From Living Up to Billy by Cooper, Elizabeth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
