Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cheap charlie

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English

Syllables: cheap- char-lie
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cheapskate, a miser.

Australian usage; American usage; Slang

Etymology

See cheap and Charlie (“Vietcong”, US military slang); likely originated among US soldiers in Vietnam as a Vietnam War-era military slang to refer to American GIs who were unwilling to spend extravagantly at bars or restaurants, or for prostitutes.

Usage

Inflected Forms

cheap Charlies (plural)

Synonyms

miser carl cheapass cheapie cheapskate cheapo churl clutchfist el cheapo last of the big spenders magpie moneygrubber

Antonyms

two week millionaire spendthrift

Questions

What does cheap charlie mean?: A cheapskate, a miser.
Where does cheap charlie come from?: See cheap and Charlie (“Vietcong”, US military slang); likely originated among US soldiers in Vietnam as a Vietnam War-era military slang to refer to American GIs who were unwilling to spend extravagantly at bars or restaurants, or for prostitutes.

How to pronounce cheap charlie

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