Where it is said
- Pernambuco· strongly associated
- the Northeast· more common here
How it is used
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.
Examples
Ele é tão pirangueiro que não quis pagar a conta.
He is so stingy that he didn't want to pay the bill.
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.
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Sources cited on this page
Sources: Priberam — pirangueiro · tier 2; KondZilla — Dicionário de gírias das quebradas de Recife e região · tier 4; Aulete — pirangueiro · tier 2; Dicionário Popular — Gírias nordestinas · tier 3