penny-ante

Barely worth noticing

Penny-ante describes something trivially small or insignificant, from the poker term for games where the ante—the mandatory opening bet—is only a penny.

A penny-ante operation is small-time and unimpressive: I'm not interested in penny-ante schemes.

Penny-ante concerns are too minor to deserve attention: Let's skip the penny-ante stuff and talk real money.

trivial

small-time

Of little significance

pettyOf little importance
piddlingInsignificantly small
triflingOf no real importance

nickel-and-dime · two-bit · minor-league · bush-league · rinky-dink · small-potatoes · inconsequential · negligible · paltry · picayune

poker

chips

Thin fried slices

potVessel for cooking
betRisked stake on outcome
stakesPosts or wagers

dealer · cards · bluff · fold · raise · call · check · hand · showdown · buy-in

Opposites

stakes/significance

penny-antehigh-stakes

Involving significant consequences

major-league · high-roller · life-or-death · make-or-break · all-or-nothing

scale/scope

penny-antebig-time

At top professional level

large-scale · major · big-league · industrial-strength · heavyweight

importance/seriousness

penny-antesignificant

Having notable importance

momentous · consequential · substantial · major · serious

Family

penny, ante, pennies, pence, pennyworth, anted, anteing, antes

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G