penny ante poker
- noun
- /ˈpɛni ˈænti ˈpoʊkər/
- Informal
:
póker de poca importancia
- During the family reunion, the adults entertained themselves with a friendly game of penny ante poker in the backyard.
Examples
-
The pastime was never a group activity like Monopoly, later penny-ante poker, shell gathering, clam digging, or miniature golf when the amusement park was built on the highway.
Fiction book (2000) -
We gathered at the friend's house for some lighthearted fun, playing penny ante poker with snacks and laughter.
-
On rainy days, we often play penny ante poker using colorful chips and small bets to keep everything casual.
Synonyms
1
7.9
A game people play for very small bets or something people think is not important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'poker played for very small stakes' can be directly inferred from the constituents: 'penny' (a very small amount), 'ante' (a bet posted before play), and 'poker' (the card game). The composition follows a straightforward, compositional logic (small bet + poker) that a B1 learner who knows the words would readily understand, so the MWE is transparent.
Etymology
The noun penny ante poker comes from games where the ante, the first bet, was only a penny, so the money was very small. That's why it means poker played for 'very small stakes' or just 'for fun'.