Real Dictionary

nickel and dime
not very important or only functioning on a small scale

nickel-and-dime
transitive verb: If you accuse a person of nickel-and-diming someone or something, you are criticizing that person for weakening or exhausting them, for example, by continually taking small amounts of money away from them, or by continually making small changes or request

nickel-and-dime in British English
costing or spending little; cheap
to spend very little
to spend very little on
to wear or bring someone down by small-scale incursions, penalties etc
adjective: of little or no importance; trivial; petty
adjective: small; insignificant; involving small amounts of money
transitive verb: to expose to financial hardship or bankruptcy by the accumulation of small expenses, bills, etc