What does cheeseparing mean?
Cheeseparing denotes an excessive, often petty concern with saving small amounts of money, especially when such scrimping seems mean-spirited or counterproductive. The word originated literally: it described thin shavings pared from a piece of cheese, so that someone who scraped the last morsel from the rind was seen as thrifty to the point of stinginess. By extension, the term came to characterize budgets, policies, or individuals that economize grudgingly — a company's cheeseparing might mean skimping on safety equipment, or a government's cheeseparing might shortchange schools. It functions both as a noun and, commonly, as an attributive adjective, as in "cheeseparing measures." The word carries a distinctly negative connotation, implying not wise thrift but a narrow-minded reluctance to spend where spending is warranted. It remains most at home in British English, though it is understood in American usage as well, and it lends writing a slightly old-fashioned, pointed flavor that plainer terms like "stinginess" lack.
The action or practice of economizing excessively or pettily; extreme frugality.
"The firm's reputation suffered after years of cheeseparing over basic maintenance."
Frequently used attributively: "cheeseparing measures," "a cheeseparing budget."
(Historical) A thin shaving or strip pared from a piece of cheese.
"The cook swept the cheeseparings into the pot for flavoring."
Now largely obsolete except in historical or dialectal contexts.
The plural applies chiefly to the literal sense (individual shavings of cheese); the figurative sense of miserly economy is normally uncountable.
"The floor was littered with cheeseparings from the morning's work."
Before it meant stinginess, cheeseparing was literally scraping every last shaving off a block of cheese — thrift so literal you could see it on the plate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cheeseparing
Cheeseparing combines "cheese" with "paring," the verbal noun of "pare," which entered Middle English from Old French "parer," meaning to trim or make ready, ultimately from Latin "parare" (to prepare, arrange, or provide). The literal sense — a thin shaving of cheese — appeared in English by the sixteenth century, and the figurative sense of miserly economizing followed by the seventeenth century, presumably because scraping every last shaving from the rind epitomized pettifogging thrift. The Latin root "parare" also yields English words such as "prepare," "repair," and "apparatus."
How cheeseparing is actually used
Often used attributively as an adjective before nouns like measures, budgets, or economies. The tone is usually critical or mildly contemptuous, implying meanness rather than sensible thrift.
Easily confused with cheeseparing
"Paring" alone refers to cutting away thin layers or shavings (as of fruit or cheese), while "cheeseparing" idiomatically means excessive, penny-wise economizing.