nickel-and-dime vs expend

nickel-and-dime is an adjective but expend is not an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
nickel-and-dime	No	Yes	Yes	No
expend	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, expend is a hypernym of nickel-and-dime; that is, expend is a word with a broader meaning than nickel-and-dime:

Other hypernyms of nickel-and-dime include drop, spend.

nickel-and-dime (adjective)	expend (adjective)
low-paying
of minor importance

nickel-and-dime (verb)	expend (verb)
accumulate gradually	use up (resources or materials)
spend money frugally; spend as little as possible	pay out