penny ante


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia.

penny ante

n.
A poker game in which the maximum bet or raise is a penny or other small amount.
adj.
Involving a small amount of money or something of little value or importance.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pen′ny an′te


n.
1. a game of poker in which the ante or limit is one cent.
2. any arrangement or transaction involving a trifling or paltry sum of money.
[1850–55, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.penny ante - a business deal on a trivial scale
business deal, deal, trade - a particular instance of buying or selling; "it was a package deal"; "I had no further trade with him"; "he's a master of the business deal"
2.penny ante - poker played for small stakes
poker game, poker - any of various card games in which players bet that they hold the highest-ranking hand
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
An expat pointed this penny ante habit of our SLEX, NLEX and SKYWAYS.)
The financial gains from the usual business licenses or permits, i.e., health, sanitation and fire safety, are penny ante, so the favorite targets of LGUs to raise more revenues are multinational companies or large business entities that are reputed to have deep pockets.
Will the killings ever move from penny ante drug pushers to large-scale thieves in government?
In comparison to his actions in the Bridgewater affair, the theft of gasoline from town pumps that led to Reiter losing in a primary election as supervisor was penny ante.