Pikers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to refer to persons who are excessively frugal or stingy with money
2. a slang expression for low-level participants in financial activities who aim to save money
3. colloquially describing individuals who are overly cautious and reluctant to take financial risks

Etymology: "Pikers" is the plural of "piker," a noun for someone overly cautious about spending or risking money. The word is built from "pike" plus the suffix "-er," but the path from that verb to a timid gambler is murky. The most-cited link runs to Pike County in eastern Missouri, whose name the word may echo, and which in one sense was associated with poor immigrants arriving in California during the gold rush era. The sense of "pike" that gives "piker" its core is the older idea of moving on or departing, a usage tied to traveling along a road, which the "-er" suffix turns into a person who hangs back or does the minimum. Some sources connect the term to "pikey," a British slang word for travelers, though that link is uncertain and the Missouri connection remains only partly explained.

Synonyms: cheapskates, stingy people

Antonyms: generous people, big spenders