English
Noun
en-noun
- Someone who bets or gambles only with small amounts of money.
- A cheapskate.
#*2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 604:
#*:Whatever else this cupcake might be up to, she was no piker. For everything the Q's ordered, she added on more of the same.
- An amateur.
Usage notes
It has been linked etymologically to the word pikey<ref>cite book|authorTony Thorne|titleBloomsbury Dictionary of Contemporary Slang|publisherw:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc|Bloomsbury Publishing Plc|year1990|id=ISBN 0747545944</ref> as well as to w:Pike County, Missouri|Pike County in eastern w:Missouri|Missouri 1. In the latter instance the term originally denoted poor immigrants to w:California|California.
Quotations
The 2000 film w:Boiler Room|Boiler Room makes reference to "pikers" in the following excerpt:
:So now you know what's possible, let me tell you what's required. You are required to work your fucking ass off at this firm. We want winners here, not pikers. A piker walks at the bell. A piker asks how much vacation time you get in the first year. Vacation time? People come to work at this firm for one reason: to become filthy rich; that's it. We're not here to make friends; we're not saving the fucking manatees here, guys. You want vacation time, go teach third grade at a public school. (wav, mp3)
References
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