nickel nurser

A man known as a nickel nurser carefully counts his coins at the market.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Miserly person: "nickel nurser" refers to a person who is extremely frugal or stingy, especially with small amounts of money. The term is informal and often used humorously or disapprovingly.
   • Skinflint: It denotes someone who carefully hoards or saves even the smallest sums, like a nickel (a five-cent coin).

Usage Examples

• (A miserly person who avoids spending small amounts.)
• (A stingy person who hoards tiny sums.)

Advanced Usage

• "to act like a nickel nurser": to behave in an excessively frugal manner.

  • He acted like a nickel nurser at the garage sale, haggling over every penny. (He was overly cheap.)

• "nickel nurser mentality": a mindset focused on saving the smallest amounts, often to the point of pettiness.

  • Her nickel nurser mentality made her unpopular among friends who wanted to split a dinner bill. (Her stinginess caused social friction.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nickel (n): a five-cent coin in US currency.
  • He found a nickel on the sidewalk. (A small coin.)
• Nurser (n): someone who tends to or cares for something; here, metaphorically "nursing" money.
  • As a nickel nurser, he nurses every cent. (He carefully manages small sums.)

Synonyms

• Miser: a person who hoards wealth and spends as little as possible.
• Skinflint: a stingy person who avoids spending even small amounts.
• Cheapskate: an informal term for someone unwilling to spend money.

Phrasal Verbs

• Nurse along: to manage or use something carefully to make it last.
  • He nursed along his savings like a nickel nurser. (He used money sparingly.)

Related Idioms

• Penny-pincher: someone who is extremely careful with money, often focusing on small amounts.
  • She's a real penny-pincher, just like a nickel nurser. (A frugal person.)
• Tight as a drum: very stingy or unwilling to spend.
  • He's as tight as a drum, a true nickel nurser. (Extremely cheap.)