nickel and dimed it

[ostap77]

I heard when watching a movie.

"He's been with the Irish mob for seventeen years. Never nickeled and dimed it. Always big operations." I looked it up in a dictionary and it only gives a defenition as an adjective not a verb. What would nickel and dime something mean?

[Barb_D]

In this case, I guess it means doing things involving small amounts of money.

The way I'm used to seeing it as a verb is something like "Don't nickel and dime me" or "I'm being nickeled and dimed to death" to mean that there are a ton of tiny little charges instead of one big charge. For example, you rent a room for a party, but then you get a charge for table cloths and a set up fee and another charge for having the wait staff work on a Sunday, etc.

[ostap77]

In this case, I guess it means doing things involving small amounts of money.

The way I'm used to seeing it as a verb is something like "Don't nickel and dime me" or "I'm being nickeled and dimed to death" to mean that there are a ton of tiny little charges instead of one big charge. For example, you rent a room for a party, but then you get a charge for table cloths and a set up fee and another charge for having the wait staff work on a Sunday, etc.

Can I use it in the following context?

" Ann is always nickeling and dimeing me." meaning that I'd like to go out with her but she doesn't take me seriously. She treats me like "loose change"

[Barb_D]

I've never heard it used in any context that doesn't involve money.