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    Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #124223: Vocabulary: generosity and meanness
    > Other English exercises on the same topics: Banks, money | Idioms | Introducing someone [Change theme]
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    Vocabulary: generosity and meanness


    We're really not going to deal with "MONEY" itself, or silver... but with the feelings it inspires: an excessive, exaggerated, abnormal desire to keep and hoard money, not only because of the power it may grant, but also because of the effects and feelings of satisfaction to "own much" or to possess an exaggerated quantity of money to touch and admire. Scrooge McDuck loves money, has tons of it, bathes in gold, hoards and saves... 

     

    On the contrary, some other people  spend without limits, including the money that they don't have.  In fact, you'll realise that conversations deal with the topic very much and quite often. 

     

                                                             

                               To be extravagant= to spend too much... 

     

     Generous/ generosity   To be open-handed 
     To spare no expense to do stg                                                   Selfless/ unselfish 
     Extravagant   To spend lavishly 
     To be a spendthrift  To spend money like water                         
     To squander   To be self-indulgent
     To pay in cold hard cash  

     

                                                                      

                                            Greed                                                                To be a skinflint

     Mean/ miserly   A miser 
     Avarice   Greed/ greedy 

     To be close-fisted                                                   

     To be tight-fisted                        

                       

     Stingy

     Grasping  

     Greedy   A skinflint/ a cheapstake                                       
     To save money   To skimp/ to scrimp
     To be thrifty   An egoist 

     Egoistical

     Selfish 

     

     To be self-centred

     To be self-centered                  

     

                                                   

                             To be broke= to have no money left                                       To make a bundle

     

    A FEW IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS: 

     

    - A penny-pincher/  tightwad (US)/  cheapskate/  skinflint 

    - To be cheeseparing/ to be penny-pinching

    - To go broke: to lose all of one's money  

    - A Dutch Treat: both persons pay their own way, also known as “going Dutch”.

    - To grease your palm: to bribe or give a tip.

    - Hit the Jackpot: to make a lot of money

    - To make a bundle: to make (earn) a large amount of money.

    - In the Red: this indicates a situation that is not making a profit.

    - "Penny for your thoughts": to ask someone what they are thinking about, often used when a person appears to be lost in thought.

     

    There you are! Quite a lot of varied expressions...  but you won't have to know them all - and I selected the most frequent ones.

    I'm sure you'll do great! 

     

     



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    1. She’ s such a , but mostly she is an impulsive buyer who can’t resist her desires.



    2. His parents and saved all their lives so that Elliot could go to University.



    3. 'Of course he has good wages, but if he keeps his money, he 'll soon have to borrow from you.'



    4. Spencer is so that he never puts any money in the kitty to buy goodies.



    5. 'Stop being for once and think about what other people may feel when you act like that!'



    6. 'Yes, I’ll go to dinner with you, but only if you accept ... I’ll pay for what I eat...'



    7. Ben’s a dreamer. He plays lotto and is sure he will very quickly.



    8. 'No need to be a . You should simply plan your expenses and stick to them.'



    9. 'I can’t go to the movies with you. I’m . It should be better next week.'



    10. When young, he used to be , but now he’s decided to ' seize the day ', and spends money like mad.



     

     

     A skinflint on the left // A spendthrift, a squanderer on the right. 

     

     








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