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lesinare

to skimp

verb leh-zee-NAH-reh Rare

Origin: from lesina (awl, cobbler's tool), associated with the parsimony of cobblers

Also means

to be stingy

Usage Note

Lesinare means to be excessively sparing with something: non lesinare sulle spese (to not skimp on costs), lesinare i complimenti (to be stingy with compliments). It takes su before the thing scrimped on. The noun lesina (cobbler's awl) gave rise to the verb via the proverbial frugality of cobblers.

Examples

"Non bisogna lesinare sull'aiuto agli altri."

Natural Translation

One should not skimp on helping others.

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