C2idiommoneyIELTS-friendly
penny-wise and pound-foolish
USUK
careful with small amounts of money but careless or wasteful with large amounts
Often written with or without hyphens. 'Pound' is the British currency, but Americans use the idiom too. US 'tires'.
In context
Buying cheap tyres to save money is penny-wise and pound-foolish if they wear out quickly.
Cutting the training budget was penny-wise and pound-foolish; our mistakes now cost far more.
More idioms about money
- a cash cowa product or business that steadily makes a lot of money
- a gold minea business or thing that makes a lot of money, or a rich source of something
- a golden handshakea large sum of money paid to someone when they leave a job
- a money pitsomething, often a house or car, that costs you much more money than it is worth
- a nest eggan amount of money saved over time for the future, such as retirement