pinchpenny
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
pinchpenny (plural pinchpennies)
- One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money. [from before 1578]
- Over the years, he developed a reputation as a pinchpenny who wouldn't spend money for anything.
- 1578, John Lyly, Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit, published 1868, page 109:
- That they accompt one a dastard if he be not defperate, a pynch penny if he be not prodygall, if filent a fotte, if full of wordes a foole?
Usage notes[edit]
- This term has a mildly negative connotation.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:miser
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
miser — see miser
References[edit]
- “pinchpenny”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “pinchpenny”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.