skimp

English

WOTD – 26 October 2009

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *skimpijaną. Cognate with German schimpfen (“to grumble, scold”), Dutch schimpen (“to mock, make fun of, scold”).

Verb

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

1. (Scotland, Northern England) To mock, deride, scorn, scold, make fun of.

   I thought Adie was only skimpin' me.

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Etymology 2

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 Citations:skimp.

Related terms

• skimpily
• skimpy

Translations

to slight; to do carelessly; to scamp

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

• Italian: sottovalutare
• Russian: халту́рить (ru) (xaltúritʹ)
• Turkish: baştan savma yapmak, savsaklamak (tr)

to make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp

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

• Norwegian: spinke, knipe
• Russian: скупиться (ru) (skupitʹsja)
• Turkish: az vermek, cimrilik etmek (tr), kısmak (tr)

to save; to be parsimonious or stingy

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

• Norwegian: spinke
• Russian: скупиться (ru) (skupitʹsja), экономить (ru) (ekonomitʹ)
• Spanish: escatimar (es)
• Swedish: snåla (sv)
• Turkish: cimrilik etmek (tr)

Adjective

skimp (comparative more skimp, superlative most skimp)

1. (dated, Britain, 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.