mingyadj.n.
/ˈmɪn(d)ʒi/, U.S. /ˈmɪn(d)ʒi/ colloquial.
A. adj.
Mean, stingy, niggardly; disappointingly or ungenerously small.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > niggardliness or meanness > [adjective]
gnedec900
gripplea1000
fastOE
narrow-hearteda1200
narrow?c1225
straitc1290
chinchc1300
nithinga1325
scarcec1330
clama1340
hard1340
scantc1366
sparingc1386
niggardc1400
chinchy?1406
retentivea1450
niggardousa1492
niggish1519
unliberal1533
pinching1548
dry1552
nigh1555
niggardly1560
churlish1566
squeamish1566
niggardish1567
niggard-like1567
holding1569
spare1577
handfast1578
envious1580
close-handed1585
hard-handed1587
curmudgeonly1590
parsimonious?1591
costive1594
hidebound1598
penny-pinching1600
penurious1600
strait-handed1600
club-fisted1601
dry-fisted1604
fast-handed1605
fast-fingered1607
close-fisted1608
near1611
scanting1613
carkingc1620
illiberal1623
clutch-fisteda1634
hideboundeda1640
clutch-fista1643
clunch-fisted1644
unbounteous1645
hard-fisted1646
purse-bound1652
close1654
stingy1659
tenacious1676
scanty1692
sneaking1696
gripe-handed1698
narrow-souled1699
niggardling1704
snippy1727
unindulgent1742
shabby1766
neargoinga1774
cheesemongering1781
split-farthing1787
save-all1788
picked1790
iron-fisted1794
unhandsome1800
scaly1803
nearbegoing1805
tight1805
nippit1808
nipcheese1819
cumin-splitting1822
partan-handed1823
scrimping1823
scrumptious1823
scrimpy1825
meanly1827
skinny1833
pinchfisted1837
mean1840
tight-fisted1843
screwy1844
stinty1849
cheeseparing1857
skinflinty1886
mouly1904
mingy1911
cheapskate1912
picey1937
tight-assed1961
chintzy1964
tightwad1976
1911 J. W. Horsley I Remember xi. 254 ‘Mingee’ for greedy.
1912 R. Brooke Let. May (1968) 382 I called you a mingy and coprologous Oxford poetaster.
1918 W. Owen Let. 19 Aug. (1967) 569 I rushed off a note in time for this evening's post, which may seem very mingy.
1930 E. V. Lucas Down Sky 223 It's dear, but we are not going to be mingy.
1940 N. Mitford Pigeon Pie i. 9 Mrs. Holst..only has the mingiest little diamond clip you ever saw.
1972 Guardian 30 Aug. 9/5 The opening for filling steam irons with distilled water is usually mingy, and the thing overflows.
1995 M. L. Settle Choices iv. ii. 229 Nella said that the RAF was either being mingy or saving wood.
B. n.
A mean person. rare.
ΚΠ
1939 M. Egan To Love & Cherish ii. 48 Don't be a mingy, father; they only cost a shilling.
Compounds
Forming parasynthetic adjectives, as mingy-minded, etc.
ΚΠ
1959 Times 28 Dec. 3/1 Both..were determined..not to let the mingy-minded weather spoil the jubilee match.
1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 68 Mingy-arsed bastard, a miserly person.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1911