skinflint
English edit
Etymology edit
From the phrase skin a flint (“go to extreme lengths for the sake of gain or economy”), from the brittleness and hardness of flint which makes it almost impossible to remove just its skin without shattering it.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
skinflint (plural skinflints)
- One who is excessively stingy or cautious with money; a tightwad; a miser.
- 1842, Gogol, Dead Souls, chapter 4
- You know, he is quite a different sort from the Public Prosecutor and our other provincial skinflints--fellows who shiver in their shoes before they will spend a single kopeck.
- 1842, Gogol, Dead Souls, chapter 4
Synonyms edit
- See also Thesaurus:miser
Translations edit
miser — see miser
References edit
- ^ Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language: College Edition, Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Company, 1962, page 1367