
IdiomAnimals
French
Ne pas attacher son chien avec des saucisses
Meaning: To be extremely tight-fisted.
Literally: Not to tie one's dog up with sausages
Example: “Son patron n'attache pas son chien avec des saucisses : pas de prime cette année.” — His boss is a real penny-pincher: no bonus this year.
English equivalent: To pinch pennies
Equivalents in other languages
English: pinch pennies
Origin: The measure of stinginess is refusing an extravagance so absurd that nobody would attempt it anyway — a leash made of food the dog would simply eat. The joke is that the miser is being judged against an impossible standard and still failing it.
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