GRASPING
ADJECTIVES
• ARBITRARY hard; greedy, grasping …Bk1898 Eng. dial.
• ETTLE stingy, grasping …Bk1900 Eng. dial.
• GRASPIOUS stingy; grasping …1984 Amer. dial.
• GRIPPLE-MINDED † of a miserly, greedy, or grasping disposition …1626
• GRIPPY grasping, avaricious …Sc.
• GRIPULOUS † grasping, greedy, avaricious …1614
• HARD close-fisted, grasping, penurious, miserly; covetous …1703 Sc. & Eng. dial.
• HAVING † desirous of having or possessing; greedy, covetous, grasping; acquisitive; miserly, penurious …1591 obs. exc. Eng. dial.
• ISLE OF WIGHT mean, grasping …20C rhyming sl. for ‘tight’
• LARGE-HANDED † grasping, rapacious …1607
• MISERABLE tight-fisted, grasping, mean …M19 Aust. sl.
• NABAL greedy, grasping, niggardly, churlish …1861 Sc.
• NABALISH covetous, grasping …Bk1903 Sc.
• NARROW-FISTED greedy, grasping …Bk1905 Eng. dial.
• PARTAN-HANDED close-fisted, stingy, mean, miserly, grasping, tight-fisted …1823 Sc.
• STRAIT-HANDED † close-fisted, parsimonious, niggardly, grasping, stingy …1600
• TINNY mean, grasping …1930s Aust. & NZ sl.
• TURKISH (DELIGHT) mean, grasping …1990s rhyming sl. for ‘tight’
NOUNS, PERSON
• BEAR a grasping person; a miser …1989 US sl.
• CLUSTERFIST a close-fisted, mean, or grasping fellow; a miserly fellow, a niggard …1652
• CORBIE a miserly, grasping person …Bk1997 Irish sl.
• DRYSIDES a grasping, miserly fellow …19C Eng. dial.
• EARTHWORM a mean or grovelling or servile person; a covetous, grasping person; a miser; a sordid wretch …1594
• HAKE * a greedy, grasping, discontented person; a covetous person …1855 Eng. dial.
• HARBOUR SHARK a greedy, grasping person …1995 W. Indies sl.
• HARPY a rapacious, plundering, or grasping person; one that preys upon others …1589
• HAWK one who preys on others; a rapacious person; a sharper, swindler, or cheat; one who is keen and grasping …1548
• HOG a slovenly person; a grasping person …Bk1913-17 Amer. dial.
• NABAL a churlish or miserly person; a grasping, hoarding person; a narrow-minded, greedy, laborious person …1604
• NABBLE a grasping, hoarding person; one who is careful to meanness about money; a miser …1792 Sc.
• NABBLER a grasping, hoarding person; one who is careful to meanness about money; a miser …1911 Sc.
• NAILER a hard, grasping person …Bk1887 Eng. dial.
• PIG a grasping person …Bk1913-17 Amer. dial.
• PURSE-LEECH † a person greedy for money; a grasping person; an extortioner …1598
– PUTTOCK a greedy, grasping, or rapacious person; a petty officer of justice; a bailiff …a1500 rare, derogatory
• RAKE a grasping person who is always trying to accumulate money …1920 Sc.
• TARTAR a covetous, grasping person …Bk1905 Eng. dial.
• THROTTLE-POKE a grasping, avaricious, grasping person …Bk1905 Eng. dial.
• TWINK a sharp, shrewish, grasping woman …1887 Eng. dial.
• WARLIN † a worldly person; a mean, grasping person …1797 Sc.
• ZIPPER POCKETS a mean, grasping person …1979 US sl.
VERBS
• NOT TO BE ABLE TO SPARE THE REEK OFF ONE’S OWN SHIT to be very greedy and grasping …Bk1904 Eng. dial.
• RAKE AND SCRAPE to collect everything one can lay one’s hands on for one’s own advantage; to be over-grasping and avaricious …Bk1905 Eng. dial.
Lexicophilia 