skimp

WOTD – 26 October 2009    

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /skɪmp/
• Rhymes: -ɪmp

Verb

skimp (third-person singular simple present skimps, present participle skimping, simple past and past participle skimped)

1. To slight; to do carelessly; to scamp.
2. To make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp.
3. To save; to be parsimonious or stingy.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Related terms

• skimpily
• skimpy

Translations

to slight; to do carelessly; to scamp

• Czech: odbýt (cs), odfláknout (cs)
• Finnish: pinnata (fi)
• German: nachlässig erledigen (de), (colloquial) schludern (de)

• Italian: sottovalutare (it)
• Russian: халтурить (ru) (xalturitʹ)
• Turkish: baştan savma yapmak (tr), savsaklamak (tr)

to make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp

• Czech: šetřit (cs)
• Finnish: pihistellä (fi), pihdata (fi), pihtailla (fi), nuukailla (fi)
• German: knausern (de)

• Norwegian: spinke (no), knipe (no)
• Russian: скупиться (ru) (skupitʹsja)
• Turkish: az vermek (tr), cimrilik etmek (tr), kısmak (tr)

to save; to be parsimonious or stingy

• Czech: šetřit (cs)
• Dutch: beknibbelen (nl)
• Finnish: pihistellä (fi), pihdata (fi), pihtailla (fi), nuukailla (fi)
• German: knapp halten (de), (colloquial) knausern (de)

• Norwegian: spinke (no)
• Russian: скупиться (ru) (skupitʹsja)
• Turkish: cimrilik etmek (tr)

Adjective

skimp (comparative more skimp, superlative most skimp)

1. (dated, UK, dialect or US, colloquial) Scanty.

Noun

skimp (plural skimps)

1. A skimpy or insubstantial thing, especially a piece of clothing.
   • 2007, George Ella Lyon, With a Hammer for my Heart, p. 192:

     I remembered how fierce it hurt and how it blistered. All that pain from just a skimp of flesh.

2. (in the plural, colloquial) Underwear.
   • 2007, Zoo Today:

     While presenting a rundown of the sexiest soap stars in the world in this week's ZOO, Hollyoaks' Gemma Atkinson very kindly stripped down to her skimps herself.