身穿十塊錢一件的T恤，腳蹬九塊九的布鞋，每天在菜市場(chǎng)跟人爭(zhēng)分奪角… 這樣的人，你會(huì)把他歸入有錢人那一類嗎？會(huì)，或者不會(huì)。這個(gè)真的很難說。因?yàn)椴簧儆绣X人確是不折不扣的cheapskate。

A cheapskate is a stingy person who buys cheap instead of higher quality or better stuff, even though they might be able to afford the better. Perhaps they are ungenerously trying not to spend much on their friends. Not particularly offensive, and often intended to ridicule in a light hearted manner.

Cheapskate指手里有錢卻仍然放棄優(yōu)質(zhì)貨品轉(zhuǎn)而購買廉價(jià)物品的“吝嗇鬼”。他們可能沒什么惡意，只是不愿意在朋友身上花太多錢，有時(shí)也是一種輕松的自嘲。

The term is a North American origin. Skate began to appear in print in the US at the end of the nineteenth century, almost simultaneously meaning a worn-out horse, a mean or contemptible person, and a second-rate sportsman. Cheap was added early on to refer to a person’s tight-fisted nature rather than any of his other perceived inadequacies.

這個(gè)詞來源于北美。Skate這個(gè)說法19世紀(jì)末期初現(xiàn)于美國，多指駑馬、刻薄卑鄙的人，或者二流的運(yùn)動(dòng)員。前面加上cheap則表示某人“手緊”的本性，與他后天形成的缺點(diǎn)無關(guān)。

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（中國日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen）

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