Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

skinflint

 
Dictionary: skin·flint   (skĭn'flĭnt') pronunciation
n.
One who is very reluctant to spend money; a miser.


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Wordsmith Words: skinflint
Top

(SKIN-flint)

noun
Someone who is stingy; a miser.

Etymology
Flint stones were used in olden times to start a fire. The term skinflint derives from the idea that a miserly person would go to the extreme and "skin a flint" or use a flint till it's as thin as skin

Usage
"But yesterday, Martha (Stewart) was revealed to have balked at invading her own wallet for even $10 worth of coffee and snacks. Just how much of a skinflint is Martha?" — Andrea Peyser; Skinflint Diva: Pennywise But Billions-Foolish; New York Post; Feb 20, 2004.


Thesaurus: skinflint
Top
Wikipedia: Skinflint
Top

A skinflint is a person considered so miserly that they would even "skin a flint" to save something of it. A flint is a small piece of flintstone used to strike a spark in the tinderbox.

A 'skinflint' dislikes spending money and is also sometimes referred to as a 'tightwad', a 'miser', a 'niggard', a 'piker', and a 'penny pincher' or 'a Scrooge'.

The term originated in Old England when the most prosperous citizens built their house walls of solid flint blocks, the most costly building material of the time. Imitators who wished to have the cachet of flintstone without the expense began to build their walls of brick with a facing of flintstone. The facing became known as skinflint, and the builders became known as skinflints.

a skin flint is also akin to lice, a small particle that is flinted from the pores of the skin an unwanted particle that is flicked away


Translations: Skinflint
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fedtsyl, nærig rad

Nederlands (Dutch)
krent

Français (French)
n. - radin

Deutsch (German)
n. - Geizhals

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σπαγκοραμμένος

Italiano (Italian)
tirchio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - unha de fome

Русский (Russian)
скряга

Español (Spanish)
n. - tacaño, agarrado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gnidare, snåljåp

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
吝啬鬼

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 吝嗇鬼

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 인색한 사람, 지독한 구두쇠

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 非常なけちんぼ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألبخيل أو ألخسيس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קמצן, כילי‬


 
 
Learn More
spendthrift
Scrooge (person)
pelter

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Skinflint" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

Mentioned in