Avere le braccine corte

Literally: To have short little arms

Example: “Non offre mai il caffè: ha le braccine corte.” — He never buys the coffee; he's a real penny pincher.

English equivalent: A penny pincher

Origin: Traces to Renaissance-era Florentine textile trade, where cloth was measured and sold by the braccio — literally an "arm's length," using the merchant's own arm as the unit of measurement. Some dishonest merchants reportedly had young apprentices, whose arms were naturally shorter, do the actual measuring, quietly shortchanging customers on every sale while appearing to measure honestly. The resulting disputes became common enough that Florence eventually fixed the braccio fiorentino at a precise, standardized 58.32 centimeters specifically to end the practice. Avere le braccine corte (to have short little arms) kept the underlying image of someone whose reach conveniently comes up short exactly when money is on the line — a stingy person who never quite manages to extend their arm far enough to pick up the check.