Can you think of an adjective?

[bartholomew]

I am looking for an adjective that descibes a person who:Has long pockets and short hands, who at the same time does not like to share what s/he has with anyone and if that person wants to give you someting he or she will think 10 times.

[mr. piper]

by experience i would say "Scottish" in the sense that the majority of scots are excessively thrifty and the term scottish would apply in the sense of something being not flat but "flattish", not "red" but "reddish". being so mean that they are "scot like" or "Scottish"

[dougielogan]

Tightwad

[ursula62]

stingy

frugal

parsimonious

miserly

penny-pinching

[camille79]

Fantastic mr Piper, stereotypes! Just what we need to promote a happy and integrated society....

[Quizmonster]

Well said, Camille! Just as most Jewish-meanness jokes are created and spread by Jews, so most Scottish-meanness jokes are created and spread by Scots. One of my favourites is a postcard showing Union Street in Aberdeen. This street is about a mile long, broad and with fine buildings lining it on either side. Clearly, the picture was taken around 5.00 AM on a Sunday morning, as the entire length is empty of people and traffic. The caption below says: "Aberdeen on a flag day." (Aberdonians are reputed to be 'mean', you see, even by supposed Scottish standards.)

Wonderful and absolutely doubtless thought up by an Aberdonian. I agree, therefore, that Mr Piper's answer is - at best - silly, unless he is himself Scottish, since it contains no indication that it is tongue-in-cheek.

[netibiza]

My husband lol

[Clare A]

The most generous couple I ever knew were Scots Jews. Just goes to show, doesn't it?

To try to assist bartholomew...

Mean, near, dog-in-the-manger, peel an orange in his/her pocket, tight as a duck's arse, parsimonious, cheese-paring, *********, mingy, stingy, tight-fisted, grudging, lickpenny, ungenerous.

Someone give bartholomew a thesaurus next birthday!

[Clare A]

I am annoyed that one of the synonyms I provided has been asterisked for no good reason. I can only guess that it was pulled because it was thought to be racist. In fact it has no link whatsoever with a derogatory term I would never in any case dream of using for a black person, but is Middle English, derived from Scandinavian 'niggle', to fiddle unnecessarily with. If this board is automodded, then perhaps there's an excuse. If it's moderated by humans, then I wish they'd get their facts right.

[Xollob]

Clare - couldn't agree more. Maybe our censor should take a look at the relevant entry in World Wide Words (I'm assuming this is the offending term).

I'd like add "tight as a gnat's chuff" to Bartholomew's list and hope it makes it to the AB unscathed - "tight as a gnat's asterisk" doesn't quite have the same 'ring' to it.

[THECORBYLOON]

mr. piper I find your remarks about Scots to be offensive and I have reported them to the AB Ed. as I believe they fall under part 9 of the Terms of Use

"9. You agree that any posting or contribution you make to such forums will not be defamatory, discriminatory, racist, obscene, offensive, threatening or in breach of any copyright or in any way unlawful or objectionable"

Will you withdraw your comments?.

[doogiee]

As usual racial oversensitivity, it is laughable how people are so afraid of stereotypes, and meaness and various other things are quite clearly a scottish stereotype. What if i commented that English people always farm their elders off to homes, they do, more than scots or welsh people, no one would comment about me saying it. Possibly because it is true. Well Scots are by nature and historically, as a whole not very generous on a one to one basis, i am Scottish, and i know we are mean, anyone who moans about it is just embarrassed by the fact.

I have looked at this site many times without a contribution.  As usual there are the resident "Angry of Mayfair's" that complain about others comments, i have read MR.PIPER'S answers before he doesn't offend me, what does offend me is whiners that think they are better than others. 

[mr. piper]

Clare A, used the "N" word. and you editted it. Why?

it is in such common usage and black guys say it to eachother. is it now so that we cannot say it coz it would be at the least disrespectful, what crap. i don't take offence because the left half of my face is missing and i cannot walk unaided. should i have legislation to protect me from being called a disfigured cripple. coz i am one.

and no i will not withdraw my comments the "corbyloon"  unless you can convince me you will never assume that someone in my condition is not made in gods image, and that you would not pass a homeless person in the street without imagining they are scroungers and should get a job, with no regard to what traumas may have lead them there. go on you first!

[Quizmonster]

Judging by the number of asterisks in Clare's edited response, I am sure the word she used was one that begins with the letter 'n' and ends with the letters 'ardly' with 'igg' between. It has nothing to do with black people whatever - despite the similar sound of the opening two syllables - and simply means exactly the same as all the other words in her list.

I have, of course, no idea how many Scots you have met, Mr Piper, and got to know well enough to come to conclusions about their characteristics...100, say?..but find it hard to credit that at least 51 of these proved themselves to be "excessively thrifty" in your dealings with them. That's what "the majority of..." means, you know. Your claim is nonsense.

[Chillum]

I'm afraid mr. piper's disparaging opinion of the Scots goes further than that of our mythical financial frugality. I do find it strange that one who seems to dislike judgements made upon people for their appearance also seems to think that a whole nation can be identified by physical characteristics "i can also tell a scots person by looking at them they are after all ethnically distinct from the anglo norman creed and i can see it! "

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/Question101070.html

 

[Octavius]

I blame the French.

[Octavius]

Or the romans, what have they ever done for us eh?

If you type a similar word into the thesaurus.com (any of those above) you can find a whole host of words that might apply, including the word that begins with n, contains an igg, wit a bit of an ardly at the end which shalt not be said in vain, or AB ed will ........strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.  And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=miserly

[netibiza]

Blame it on el nino.  Sounds like we've got treehuggers here.  If anyone can follow my drift.

[paddy_36]

Should start this post by clarifying that I'm Scottish. On a bus tour in Italy a few years ago, we had to fill in a questionnaire to give feedback about the trip. I didn't have a pen, so asked someone sitting behind me if I could borrow his - he was English. He said, "Yeah, you can borrow it for 20p". I said "Make it 10p". He said to me, "only a Scot would try to haggle 20p down to 10p!"

Why wasn't I quick-witted enough to say that only an Englishman would try to charge in the first place...?

[THECORBYLOON]

mr.piper you wrote
"and no i will not withdraw my comments the "corbyloon" unless you can convince me you will never assume that someone in my condition is not made in gods image, and that you would not pass a homeless person in the street without imagining they are scroungers and should get a job, with no regard to what traumas may have lead them there. go on you first!"

Your comments about homeless folk seem to reveal your own views rather than mine.

As to whether you are made in God's image, you will find out, if you're lucky enough to join the millions of Scots in Heaven.