Translation Request : comments [S. Worthen

Short change?

Not the same thing at all!

No, that's cheating someone out of something. Nickling and diming involves swamping someone in trivial little transactions. If you're being nickled and dimed for a subway ride (hypothetically), you might pay to get into the system, pay extra to ride the escalator, pay extra if you want a seat, pay extra for the elevator at the other end, and then pay to get out - as opposed to just paying for the whole experience at one all-inclusive price.

[link] [parent] [reply]

Would this apply to those push slot machined then as they require you feed them trivial change over a period of time to (play) try to win?

Is the process of slowly and meticulously spending money or does it have to relate to small change expenditure on small apparently trival things that add up.

Does this relate to 'take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themself'... or something like that!

[link] [parent] [reply]

Would this apply to those push slot machined then as they require you feed them trivial change over a period of time to (play) try to win?

I'd say no, because it costs the same every time you play, and you're paying for the same experience each time, effectively.

Is the process of slowly and meticulously spending money or does it have to relate to small change expenditure on small apparently trival things that add up.

Small change expenditure on small apparently trival things that add up.

Does this relate to 'take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themself'... or something like that!

It's a relative, but it doesn't mean the same thing either. If you're taking care of the pennies, then you're trying to avoid being nickled and dimed.

[link] [parent] [reply]

There might be cockney slang for it....

[link] [parent] [reply]

Trying it on? Taking things a bit far? Over doing it? Laying it on a bit thick? These are all generic phrases that *might* be put to work in that situation...

[link] [parent] [reply]

They're heading more in the right direction but I can't quite swap any of them in the particular context of the phrase I have in my head: "We're not trying to nickel and dime the vendors of the house we're trying to buy; in renegotiating the price, we're going for a price that includes the costs of all the bits and pieces that need repairing, rather than deducting each of them separately."

[link] [parent] [reply]

There's no word because you'd never find such unsavoury activities going on in honest England!

I can't find a reference anywhere - maybe it's a highly regional thing, I dunno - but I'd swear blind that you can say "copper up" in the sense of "to pay, mostly with small change". It's not the same meaning, but I thought I'd mention it anyhow since it's another phrase that specifically refers to small denominations.

[link] [parent] [reply]