the Northeast, Pernambuco
/pi.ɾɐ̃ˈɡej.ɾʊ/pee-rahn-GAY-rooadjective
stingy
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In Recife and across much of the Northeast this labels a tightwad who has money but will not spend it; dictionaries also record a related sense of someone who sponges off other people's goodwill. It is clearly critical — do not say it to someone's face lightly.
Ele é tão pirangueiro que não quis pagar a conta.
He is so stingy that he didn't want to pay the bill.
Regional patterns, not hard borders. A word may be used outside the highlighted area, and multiple words can coexist in the same region. Falando highlights the strongest and most useful patterns from its sources.
Deixa de ser pirangueiro e compra um sorvete.
Stop being stingy and buy an ice cream.
Não chame aquele cara pirangueiro.
Don't invite that stingy guy.
Hear it, use it in a sentence and get corrected — Falando’s Real Talk and Idioms Trainer are built for words like this. Free for 7 days.
