spenders


the last of the big spenders

An ironic expression used when one is making a small or frugal purchase. Did you just order toast and a water? Wow, the last of the big spenders!See also: big, last, of, spenders

big-time spender

Someone who spends money freely and in great amounts, especially on nonessential things or events. There are a certain few big-time spenders who always come through the casino, so we try to make sure they have the best experience possible.See also: spender

big-time spender

n. someone who spends a lot of money. A big-time spender doesn’t look at the prices on the menu. See also: spender

last of the big spenders, the

A tightwad. This term, often used deprecatingly of oneself, originated in the United States during the 1920s, presumably referring at first to the lavish extravagances of the boom preceding the Great Depression. During the Depression it began to be used ironically and self-deprecatingly, as it still is (for example, “I picked it up at a yard sale—I’m the last of the big spenders”). Possibly by design but more probably by coincidence, the term echoes the much older “After great getters come great spenders,” which originated in the sixteenth century, and “Great spenders are bad lenders,” from the seventeenth century, which became proverbial. See also: big, last, of