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idiom

penny wise, pound foolish

PEN-ee WYZ POWND FOO-lish

ˈpɛni waɪz paʊnd ˈfuːlɪʃ

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Syllable breakdown

pennywisepoundfoolish

Dictionary meaning

Careful about small expenses but wasteful with large ones.

Examples

  • Skipping routine maintenance and then facing a huge repair bill was penny wise, pound foolish.

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