pinch-gut en · NOUN
Etymology
From pinch + gut.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) A miser; especially someone parsimonious with food.
Pinch-gut—A mean purser.
[1883, William Clark Russell, Sailors' Language, page 103:Por. We are my Lady Pinch-guts men, Sir. Co. Her Men? No, he Mice. We live upon crums,^([sic]) and a good Cat would run away with us all. […] L. W. I wonder at it; my Lords humour is very oppoſite to hers, he loves Grandeur. Co. So does ſhe, Sir, but hates to pat for't. She will ha' Servants for a ſhew, and they ſhall ha' Liveries for a ſhew, when company comes: But when company's gone, we are ſtripp'd and ſtarv'd; a damn'd Papiſtical Heathen.
1690, John Crowne, “Lady Pinch-guts Houſe”, in The English Frier, act 2, scene 1, page 9:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pinch-guts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
pinch-gut ship · pinch-gutted · pinch-gut pay · pinch-gut money · pinch-gut vengeance
Synonyms
pinch-plum · pinchfist · pinch-crust · pinch-belly · pinch-back · pinchpenny · pinch-commons