Definition:
PinchPenny is used as a noun to describe a thrifty person, meaning someone who is being frugal or stingy, or as a verb, as in 'to pinch pennies', when describing the action of saving money and not spending any.
Examples in use:
“We want to buy our own home, so we’re pinching pennies and saving as much money as we can.”
“His "pinch penny" uncle is not likely to help him pay off his student loan.”
FAQs
Pinch Penny is used as a noun to describe a thrifty person, meaning someone who is being frugal or stingy, or as a verb, as in 'to pinch pennies', when describing the action of saving money and not spending any.
Where did the phrase "pinch pennies" come from? ›
The earliest known use of the word penny-pinching is in the early 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for penny-pinching is from 1600, in the writing of Thomas Dekker, playwright and pamphleteer. penny-pinching is formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: penny n., pinching adj.
What is penny-pinching slang for? ›
Penny-pinching is the practice of trying to spend as little money as possible. [disapproval] Government penny-pinching is blamed for the decline in food standards. Synonyms: meanness, selfishness, parsimony [formal], stinginess More Synonyms of penny-pinching.
What does Penny Pincher mean examples? ›
Meaning of penny-pincher in English
a person who is unwilling to spend money: He takes offense at the notion he's a penny-pincher, insisting all his workers are paid above minimum wage.
What does it mean to pinch a penny? ›
to spend as little money as possible: When we were first married we had to pinch pennies just to get by. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
Is penny-pinching positive or negative? ›
Penny pincher can be used negatively, but it can also be used neutrally or even somewhat positively to praise someone's thriftiness. Frugal people might even apply the term to themselves. It's that simple.
Where did pinch a penny start? ›
Pinch A Penny began in 1975 with the Thomas family opening a discount store within an industrial park in Clearwater, Florida.
What is a synonym for pinch penny? ›
pinchpenny (adjective as in tightfisted) Strongest matches. frugal greedy thrifty. Weak matches. chintzy closefisted economical mean mingy miserly money-conscious parsimonious penny-pinching pennywise penurious saving scrimping stingy tight tightwad ungenerous.
What figure of speech is penny-pinching? ›
adjective. giving or spending with reluctance. “a penny-pinching miserly old man” synonyms: cheeseparing, close, near, skinny.
What is an example of pinching pennies? ›
“We want to buy our own home, so we're pinching pennies and saving as much money as we can.” “His "pinch penny" uncle is not likely to help him pay off his student loan.”
big spender. spendthrift. squanderer. Synonyms for penny pincher from Random House Roget's College Thesaurus, Revised and Updated Edition © 2000 Random House, Inc.
What is the saying about pinching pennies? ›
Idioms and Phrases
Be thrifty or miserly, as in There's no need to pinch pennies now that you're working full-time . This term was first recorded in 1942.
What is an example sentence for penny pinching? ›
I thought that that comment was a bit mean and penny-pinching because we have given a great deal. I hope that he was not here to carry out a penny-pinching exercise. The penny-pinching that has gone on here is highlighted by the foolishness we find in so many other aspects.
What does don't pinch pennies mean? ›
(“Pinch a penny” is the verb form of the phrase “penny pincher”, and it means the act of hoarding wealth and spending as little as pos. Penny pincher is a metaphorical phrase which is used to describe people who are misers, or people who hoard wealth and spend as little as possible.
What does penny pinching miser mean? ›
Definition of penny-pincher. as in miser. a mean grasping person who is usually stingy with money we've ended up treating that penny-pincher to dinner three times and she's never once offered to pay.
How to penny pinching? ›
By embracing frugality, avoiding wasteful spending, shopping smart and comparison-price, cutting costs wherever possible, and prioritizing long-term savings goals, you can take control of your finances and build a secure financial future for yourself and your family.
Where did the pinching tradition come from? ›
According to the tradition, if you are not wearing green and therefore visible to the leprechauns, a leprechaun may wind up pinching you. From there, people began pinching those not wearing green as a painful reminder of what a leprechaun would do to them should they happen upon one.
Where did pitching pennies originate? ›
The history of the game is ancient, and it is known to have been played by Ancient Greek children using bronze coins. In 1998, basketball player Michael Jordan played the game against security guard John Michael Wozniak, an event depicted in the documentary The Last Dance.
Where did the term pinch hit come from? ›
The term "pinch hitter" comes from baseball as the batter is expected to score some quick runs and relieve the pressure without having much concern of losing the wicket.
