skimpy
English
editEtymology
editPronunciation
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editskimpy (comparative skimpier, superlative skimpiest)
- Small or inadequate; not generous; diminutive.
- They served a pretty skimpy portion of ice cream as the free birthday dessert.
- 1896, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The Wheels of Chance: A Holiday Adventure, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent and Co.; New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Co., →OCLC:
- He was of a pallid complexion, hair of a kind of dirty fairness, greyish eyes, and a skimpy, immature moustache under his peaked indeterminate nose.
- 1986 April 19, Michael Bronski, “Two Views on Desert Hearts: Sexy? or simply Slow?”, in Gay Community News, page 9:
- Desert Hearts is one of the high spots in the skimpy history of gay movies — and probably the high spot in the even more barren history of lesbian films.
- 1992, Toni Morrison, Jazz, Vintage (2016), page 72:
- Food might be a tad skimpy in the portions.
- (of a garment) Very small, light, or revealing.
- Have you ever seen such a skimpy bikini?
- 1904 January 29 – October 7, Joseph Conrad, Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, London, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], published 1904, →OCLC:
- The long, skimpy soutane accentuated the tallness of his stature; he carried his powerful torso thrown forward; […]
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[8]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- Denis Breen in skimpy frockcoat and blue canvas shoes shuffled out of Harrison’s hugging two heavy tomes to his ribs.
- 1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter 2, in Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC:
- His suit, the latest thing in Old Eli Togs, was skin-tight, with skimpy trousers to the tops of his glaring tan boots, a chorus-man waistline, pattern of an agitated check, and across the back a belt which belted nothing.
- 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
- Chang the elderly butler entered, wearing only a pair of skimpy black underpants.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editsmall or inadequate; not generous
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of a garment, very small, light, or revealing
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Noun
editskimpy (plural skimpies)
- (Australia, Western Australia) A barmaid who wears little clothing. [From 1988.]
- 2000, Australian Journal of Mining, page 2:
- It's a curious mix: weatherworn miners, fresh faced bankers, and a couple of g-stringed skimpies.
- 2007, Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Perth & Western Australia, Lonely Planet, page 159:
- For an anthropological experience, the front bar at the Exchange Hotel provides a window into some locals′ lives at all hours of the day, with skimpies, TV sports and mine workers chain-drinking.
- 2010, Kathy Marks, “Tears of the Sun”, in Robert Drewe, editor, The Best Australian Essays 2010, page 239:
- ‘ […] There are thirty-two hotels in Kalgoorlie, and only seven would have skimpies [scantily clad barmaids].’
- 2017 March 27, Calla Wahlquist, “'Skimpies' night: the Western Australia pub tradition that refuses to die”, in The Guardian[3], →ISSN:
- Skimpy barmaids, or just “skimpies,” refers to female bar staff who wear a bikini or lingerie. They are a feature of working class pubs in industrial suburbs and mining towns, which often advertise skimpies during traditionally quieter times such as midweek lunch and dinner services in an effort to attract customers.
Derived terms
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- English terms suffixed with -y
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɪmpi
- Rhymes:English/ɪmpi/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- Australian English
- Western Australian English