English

Noun

1. Someone who bets or gambles only with small amounts of money.
2. 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.

3. An amateur.

Usage notes

It has been linked etymologically to the word pikey as well as to Pike County in eastern Missouri http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/p/p0300200.html. In the latter instance the term originally denoted poor immigrants to California.

Quotations

The 2000 film 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

Norwegian

Noun

piker

1. Indefinite plural of'' pike

Piker may refer to:

People

• Miranda Piker, a character cut (removed before publication) from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Piker, a cheapskate, skinflint, tightwad, or penny pincher. Someone who will ignore quality and buy the cheapest version of something. Thought to originate from two sources: a piker as a migrant or vagrant who travels along a turnpike; or someone from Pike County, Missouri.

See also

• Pikas, nickname for Pi Kappa Alpha
• Pike (disambiguation)

Arab, adventurer, beach bum, beachcomber, beggar, betting ring, bettor, bo, boneshaker, bum, bummer, cardshark, cardsharp, cardsharper, cheapskate, compulsive gambler, crap shooter, dogie, drifter, floater, gambler, gamester, gamin, gamine, guttersnipe, hazarder, hobo, homeless waif, idler, landloper, lazzarone, loafer, losel, mudlark, niggard, penny pincher, petty gambler, pier, player, plunger, punter, ragamuffin, ragman, ragpicker, roadster, rounder, sharp, sharper, sharpie, ski bum, skinflint, speculator, sport, sporting man, sportsman, stiff, stray, street Arab, street arab, street urchin, sundowner, surf bum, swagman, swagsman, tatterdemalion, tennis bum, tightwad, tinhorn, tipster, tout, tramp, traveler, turnpiker, urchin, vag, vagabond, vagrant, venturer, wagerer, waif, waifs and strays, wastrel