penny wise, pound foolish

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR C1

Post

Example

“Skipping backups is penny wise, pound foolish.”

Dictionary details

Component words

penny pound foolish

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

tighten your belt Neutral · CEFR B1

To spend less money because you have less than before.

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs Neutral · CEFR C1

to destroy a reliable source of future profit through greed or short-term thinking

tighten the purse strings Neutral · CEFR C1

To become more careful and strict about spending money.

a rip-off Informal · CEFR B1

Something that is far too expensive for what it is.

bang for your buck Informal · CEFR B1

the value or impact you get for the money or effort spent

can of worms Informal · CEFR B1

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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