It’s easy to confuse this pair of word confusions: scrimp versus skimp. They both mean, basically, the same thing — ways to get more or to make something go further with all those negative connotations about being cheap. And, of course, there is a slight, very slight, difference.
Scrimp is all about saving. Saving like a mofo.
Skimp is all about spending less.
I did warn ya that the difference was minute . . .
Exploring Later . . .
You may want to explore “Scrimp versus Shrimp“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Scrimp | Skimp |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: scrimps Third person present verb: scrimps |
Adjective 1; Noun 2; Verb 2, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: skimps Third person present verb: skimps |
| Noun: A pinching miser A niggard Verb, intransitive:
Verb, transitive:
To keep on short allowance
|
Adjective: [Dated; British dialect; US colloquial] Scanty 1 Noun: A skimpy or insubstantial thing, especially a piece of clothing [Mass noun; colloquial] Underwear Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive: To do or perform in a hasty or careless manner To slight
|
| Examples: | |
| Noun: The man’s a scrimp, a regular Scrooge. You are such a scrimp, Mary. You know you need that dress. Verb, intransitive: They scrimped and saved for everything they have. She has to scrimp and save to clothe her son. Verb, transitive: “Laura Beecroft wrote: “I’ve not exactly scrimped but I’ve managed to do it pretty cheaply by not giving into people adding 100 per cent mark-up when you mention wedding” (Big). “For, as a general thing, the English merchant-ship scrimps her crew; but not so the English whaler” (Melville, 101). Can you scrimp enough to buy another car? |
Adjective: Dang girl, that is one skimp dress! “Amenities are still skimp, with a handful of A-frame buildings that hold a few restaurants, a ski school, and a kids’ center” (Granada). Noun: Tibetan society is charming but conservative, and the thought of Tibetan hotties mincing down the catwalk in their skimp challenged all credibility. “While presenting a rundown of the sexiest soap stars in the world in this week’s ZOO, Hollyoaks’ Gemma Atkinson very kindly stripped down to her skimps herself” (Naughty). “I remembered how fierce it hurt and how it blistered. All that pain from just a skimp of flesh” (Lyon, 192). Verb, intransitive: Parents shouldn’t skimp when it comes to their child’s safety. We must skimp and save, if we are going to afford a vacation this summer. Don’t skimp on insurance when you travel overseas. Verb, transitive: Many old people skimp on food and heat in order to meet their bills. I thought Adie was only skimpin’ me. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: scrimpy, unscrimped Adverb: scrimpily Noun: scrimper, scrimpiness |
Adjective: skimpier, skimpiest, skimpy Adverb: skimpily, skimpingly Noun: skimpiness |
| History of the Word: | |
| Mid-18th century in the sense keep short of food from the Scots scrimp meaning meager. |
|
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Scrimp versus Skimp
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Apple Dictionary.com
BIG DAY Cost of Weddings.” Daily Record. 5 May 2015. Web. 28 Dec 2022. <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%40dailyrecord-a0412252635>.
Cambridge Dictionary: skimp
“Choose Your Words: scrimp/skimp.” Vocabulary.com. n.d. Web. 5 April 2020. <https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/scrimp-skimp/>.
Dictionary.com: scrimp
The Free Dictionary: scrimp
Granada, Stephanie. “Top Colorado Ski Resorts.” Sunset Magazine. 24 Jan 2020. Web. n.d. <https://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-adventure/top-colorado-ski-resorts>.
Lyon, George Ella. With a Hammer for my Heart. The University Press of Kentucky, 2014. <https://amzn.to/3UQD1rO>.
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick, or the White Whale. Richard Bentley, London: 1851. 2011. <https://amzn.to/3viI34Z>. Ebook.
Merriam-Webster: skimp
“Naughty Gemma Atkinson!” Zoo Today. 2007. Web. n.d. <https://web.archive.org/web/20100501085331/http://www.zootoday.com/girls/archive/2006/10/02/n8d7j3om03oq.htm>.
Wiktionary: skimp
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Anime Girl by Niabot is under the CC BY 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 18 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie