spenny

See also: Spenny

English

Etymology

Clipping of expensive +‎ -y.

Adjective

spenny (comparative more spenny, superlative most spenny)

1. (UK, informal) Expensive.
   • 1994, Humphrey Drummond, chapter 7, in Nazi Gold: the Search for the Party Treasure, London: The Historical Press Ltd, →ISBN, page 79:

     "Rather a spenny little bundle, I'm afraid," he thought, "but strictly expense account stuff. […] "

   • 1999 May 25, Matt Schofield, “liberate the gear freak...”, in uk.rec.climbing‎^[1] (Usenet):

     My mate Nick's got a Wild Country Voyager that was pretty spenny and obviously high performance but small (having said that he only paid 80 quid for it from outside cos it'd been a demo at a show).

   • 2000 July 5, tom8...@my-deja.com, “mid-budget archtop jazz choice ?”, in uk.music.guitar‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Ibanez will probably be too spenny unless you find one secondhand with an owner who doesn't appreciate its real value.

   • 2003 May 30, Flora, “Mike's topical tip No 2”, in uk.food+drink.misc‎^[3] (Usenet):

     Why bother with spenny cans of aspartame/sugar filled muck, when a bottle of water and a few caffeine tabs will do the job instead, hmmmmmm? Just my pen'north.

   • 2009, Samantha Scott-Jeffries, “Heels on Wheels” (chapter 6), in I Do, I Do, I Do, London: Little Black Dress, →ISBN, page 98:

     Darling Ray, ¶ Having narrowly escaped being consumed by flesh-eating maggots (spawned by the world of television, rather than the dead-body-munching kind), I’ve fled to Majorca (spa was too spenny). I’m here working as a wedding planner. Please stop laughing!!!

   • 2017, Tony Williams, chapter 4, in Nutcase, London: Salt Publishing Limited, →ISBN, page 15:

     Davey would buy these spenny glass jars of food for the baby, but Aidan was lucky if he got chips and scraps.

   • 2023 March 6, Natasha Harding, “I've found the perfect 'going out' top, and it's from H&M”, in Cosmopolitan UK‎^[4], London: Hearst Magazines UK, →ISSN, archived from the original on 2023-07-04:

     A good 'going out top' will see you through many seasons to come. It is arguably the most important half of the classic 'jeans and a nice top' outfit combo. But finding these miracle tops is easier said than done. They can often be quite spenny or, depending on the neckline, impossible to find a bra to wear underneath.

Further reading

• “spenny”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.