penny pincher

American  

[pen-ee pin-cher] / ˈpɛn i ˌpɪn tʃər /

noun

1. a miserly or stingy person.

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penny pincher Idioms  

1. see pinch pennies.

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Usage

What does penny pincher mean? A penny pincher is a person who’s very careful or stingy with their money—they don’t like to spend it and they don’t like to give it away.The image is that of someone clutching tightly to even the smallest amount of money so it doesn’t leave their hands. Penny typically refers to a one-cent coin.Penny pincher is synonymous with the word miser, but whereas miser is always used negatively (to refer to Ebenezer Scrooge types), penny pincher can be used either in a negative way or in a more neutral way to refer to someone who’s just trying to save money because they’re on a tight budget.The same thing can be said about the related idiomatic verb pinch pennies, meaning to be very, very careful about how one spends one’s money—it can mean to be thrifty or frugal, or to be miserly.Penny pincher is sometimes spelled with a hyphen: penny-pincher.Example: Ellen’s rich uncle was such a penny pincher that he used to give her a pencil for her birthday.

Other Word Forms

• penny-pinching noun

Etymology

Origin of penny pincher

First recorded in 1920–25; penny ( def. ) + pincher ( def. ); pinch ( def. ) (in sense “to economize unduly”); pinchpenny ( def. )

Example Sentences

She is the penny pincher, and she’s the motivator for keeping everybody’s spirits up, sort of.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2024

As one example, David Pecker testified that the defendant was a penny pincher, careful to question any bill.

From Salon • May 24, 2024

They’ll tell you Scott can’t make a decision when it matters, Jerry can’t acquire the proper players and that John is a profit-first penny pincher.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2023

So how can you use Venmo without killing the romance or feeling like a penny pincher?

From Washington Post • Aug. 1, 2019

Hughie was affable enough to give you the shirt off his back, but such a penny pincher, he wouldn't pick up the check at IHOP.

From Time Magazine Archive