Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Unwise in dealing with large sums of money or large matters.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Neglecting the care of large sums or concerns in attending to little ones: used only in the phrase penny-wise and pound-foolish. See
penny-wise .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Being unwise in dealing with large amounts of money.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective unwise in dealing with large sums
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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More important, some of the cuts were pennywise and pound-foolish, at least when it comes to protecting the environment, public health and the economy.
Elliott Negin: Congress Ignores Scientific Reality, Kills National Climate Service Proposal Elliott Negin 2011
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Withdrawal is a penny-wise but pound-foolish approach to an enduring national security problem.
We Have the Momentum in Afghanistan Kimberly Kagan 2011
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It would be so penny-wise, pound-foolish it would be ridiculous, said the banker.
White House Calling The Shots On GM IPO: Reuters Ryan McCarthy 2010
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More important, some of the cuts were pennywise and pound-foolish, at least when it comes to protecting the environment, public health and the economy.
Elliott Negin: Congress Ignores Scientific Reality, Kills National Climate Service Proposal Elliott Negin 2011
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More important, some of the cuts were pennywise and pound-foolish, at least when it comes to protecting the environment, public health and the economy.
Elliott Negin: Congress Ignores Scientific Reality, Kills National Climate Service Proposal Elliott Negin 2011
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It would be so penny-wise, pound-foolish it would be ridiculous, said the banker.
White House Calling The Shots On GM IPO: Reuters Ryan McCarthy 2010
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If the governors really want to look out for the financial best interests of their constituents, it's time to stop making penny-wise, pound-foolish choices, and make the critical investments that will pay off for their states over the long term.
Rob Kerth: In The Public Interest: Gas Prices Show Cutting High Speed Rail Is Short-Sighted Rob Kerth 2011
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One could go on, but the important lesson to remember for would-be reformers is that in their zeal to cull waste and limit the scope of the federal government, they don't get caught up being "penny-wise, pound-foolish."
Edward Flattau: Frivolous Pork Edward Flattau 2012
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If the governors really want to look out for the financial best interests of their constituents, it's time to stop making penny-wise, pound-foolish choices, and make the critical investments that will pay off for their states over the long term.
Rob Kerth: In The Public Interest: Gas Prices Show Cutting High Speed Rail Is Short-Sighted Rob Kerth 2011
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More important, some of the cuts were pennywise and pound-foolish, at least when it comes to protecting the environment, public health and the economy.
Elliott Negin: Congress Ignores Scientific Reality, Kills National Climate Service Proposal Elliott Negin 2011
arby commented on the word pound-foolish
The opposite of penny-wise.
October 10, 2007