The phrase "nickel-and-dime" can be used as both a verb and an adjective, and it has a couple of different meanings.
When you use "nickel-and-dime" as a verb, it means to gather or accumulate something little by little, often in a careful or frugal way.
When used as an adjective, "nickel-and-dime" describes something that is low-paying or of minor importance.
In more advanced contexts, "nickel-and-dime" can refer to operations or businesses that are small-scale and not very serious or professional.
There aren’t many direct variants of "nickel-and-dime," but you might encounter it in phrases or idioms related to saving money or low-paying jobs.
There are no direct idioms or phrasal verbs that use "nickel-and-dime," but you might hear phrases like "penny-pinching," which means being very careful with money, similar to the frugal sense of "nickel-and-dime."
To sum up, "nickel-and-dime" can mean to save or gather little by little, or it can describe something that is not very important or pays very little.