penny ante

Thân thiện

A group of friends play a penny ante poker game at the kitchen table.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A poker game played for very small stakes: Refers to a low-stakes, often informal, poker game where the bets are minimal.
   • Any business deal or activity on a very small or trivial scale: Used metaphorically to describe an enterprise, negotiation, or operation involving insignificant amounts of money or importance.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • We're just playing penny ante tonight, so don't worry about losing a lot of money.
  • The mayor dismissed the corruption allegations as penny ante compared to the major issues facing the city.
  • He got his start in the penny ante world of local flea markets before building a national empire.

Advanced Usage

• Used attributively (as an adjective) to modify nouns, describing something as small-time or trivial.
  • It was a penny-ante operation, barely turning a profit.
  • They're tired of these penny-ante negotiations and want to discuss the real contract.

Variants and Related Words

• Penny-ante (adjective): Functioning as an adjective to describe something as small-scale or insignificant.
  • He was a penny-ante hustler, always looking for a quick, small score.

Synonyms

• Small-time: Of minor importance or scope.
• Nickel-and-dime: Involving or dealing with small sums of money; petty.
• Trivial: Of little value or importance.
• Minor: Lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance.

Antonyms

• High-stakes: Involving the risk of a very large loss or gain.
• Major: Important, serious, or significant.
• Big-time: Reaching the highest level of success or importance in a field.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Penny-ante stuff: A phrase used to dismiss something as unimportant or trivial.
  • Forget about that penny-ante stuff; we need to focus on the multi-million dollar deal.

Học thuật

Noun

1. poker played for small stakes
2. a business deal on a trivial scale

Từ đồng nghĩa

• penny ante poker