| 释义 |
tighten your belt tighten (one's) beltTo reduce, restrict, or limit one's budget; to live more modestly or make financial sacrifices. A: "I don't know what we'll do now that you lost your job." B: "Don't worry, we just need to tighten our belts for a while. Living on my own during college taught me how to tighten my belt and get by on not very much.See also: belt, tightentighten your belt COMMON If you tighten your belt, you make an effort to spend less money. Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt. He recently announced the club will have to tighten its belt next season, saying he will lower wages and sell players. Note: You can also talk about belt tightening. Yesterday's vote means that the Greeks are prepared to accept a period of belt tightening. The nation's second largest bank announced a series of layoffs and other belt-tightening measures today to counteract heavy losses.See also: belt, tightentighten your belt cut your expenditure; live more frugally.See also: belt, tightentighten your ˈbelt spend less money, eat less food, etc. because there is little available: In wartime everyone has to tighten their belts. ♢ We’ll have to tighten our belts if we want to save any money for a summer break this year. OPPOSITE: throw your money about/around ▶ ˈbelt-tightening noun: Continued government belt-tightening has helped to reduce public debt.See also: belt, tighten |