Snudged

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Lived meanly by saving and hoarding every penny ; curled up or nestled comfortably in a warm, sheltered spot
2. Scrimped and stinted to keep money back ; cuddled up close and settled in a cosy, protected position
3. Hoarded money through stingy, careful living ; huddled together snugly for warmth and comfort in a sheltered place

Etymology: "Snudged" is the past tense of "snudge," a verb meaning to hoard money in a stingy way. Its inflection is simple: the past tense and past participle of the verb, so the word tells us about an action already completed, as in someone who snudged away their savings. The verb itself has no firmly established origin. It may be related to "snug," which in English has long meant comfortable, sheltered, or tucked away, and the sense of keeping something safely close fits that connection. The noun "snudge," meaning a miser, may have been formed from the verb rather than the other way round. Beyond that, the history of the word is unrecorded, so the link to "snug" remains a plausible guess rather than a settled fact.

Synonyms: scrimp, skimp, hoard