Meaning: air-tight

adj.
having no weak pointsnot allowing air or gas to pass in or out

tight Idiom, Proverb

in a tight spot

in a difficult position, in a pinch Mom told me to go, and Dad told me to stay. I was in a tight spot.

sit tight

wait patiently for something Please sit tight for a few minutes while I go and get a police officer.

tight-ass

"stingy person; tight fisted" Mason is a tight-ass! He collects rent from his old grandmother.

tight-fisted

" very frugal; unwilling to spend money unnecessarily."

tight race

close race, down to the wire It was a tight race for the mayor's position. Kutz won by ten votes.

tight spot

uncomfortable position, between a rock and a hard place "At the interview Vic was in a tight spot. They asked him, ""Why were you dismissed from three jobs?"""

tight squeeze

difficult financial situation The company is in a tight squeeze now that sales are down from last year.

tight/tight fisted

not generous, unwilling to spend, cheap People say he's so tight he'd sell a gift and bank the money.

tighten one

economize, spend less We will have to tighten our belts for awhile until the economy improves.

tighten our belts

not spend as much, be careful with our money We'll have to tighten our belts when Stan goes on pension.

uptight

tense, nervous, not relaxed, worried sick """What are you uptight about?"" ""I'm not sure. It could be fear of losing my job."""

tight

1. a state of mind, feeling really good at the moment; straight, legitimate, all-good
2. cool, dope, fresh, good

trump tight

see trump

walk a tightrope

Idiom(s): walk a tightrope

Theme: DIFFICULTY

to be in a situation where one must be very cautious.
• I've been walking a tightrope all day. I need to relax.
• Our business is about to fail. We've been walking a tightrope for three months.

tightfisted with money

Idiom(s): tightfisted (with money) AND closefisted (with money)

Theme: MONEY

very stingy with money.
• The manager is very closefisted with expenditures.
• My parents are very tightfisted with money.

tighten one's belt

Idiom(s): tighten one's belt

Theme: FINANCIAL

to manage to spend less money.
• Things are beginning to cost more and more. It looks as if well all have to tighten our belts.
• Times are hard, and prices are high. I can tighten my belt for only so long.

run a tight ship

Idiom(s): run a tight ship AND run a taut ship

Theme: CONTROL

to run a ship or an organization in an orderly and disciplined manner. (Taut and tight mean the same thing. Taut is correct nautical use.)
• The new office manager really runs a tight ship.
• Captain Jones is known for running a taut ship.

in a tight

Idiom(s): in a (tight)

Theme: TROUBLE

caught in a problem; in a jam.
• Look, John, I'm in a tight spot. Can you lend me twenty dollars?
• I'm in a spot too. I need $300.
• I have never gotten into a tight spot.

tight as a tick

Idiom(s): (as) full as a tick AND (as) tight as a tick

Theme: FULLNESS

very full of food or drink. (Informal. Refers to a tick that has filled itself full of blood.)
• Little Billy ate and ate until he was as tight as a tick.
• Our cat drank the cream until he became full as a tick.

Tight rein

If things or people are kept on a tight rein, they are given very little freedom or controlled carefully.

Tight ship

If you run a tight ship, you control something strictly and don't allow people much freedom of action.

Tighten your belt

If you have to tighten your belt, you have to economise.

jaws tight|jaw|jaws|tight

adj., slang, informal Angry; uptight; tense. Why are you getting your jaws so tight?

run a tight ship|run|ship|tight ship

v. phr. To run an organization with a firm hand, with strict rules and regulations. Our dean of the college runs a very tight ship; he tolerates no mistakes.

sit tight|sit

v. phr., informal To make no move or change; stay where you are.

Often used as a command. Sit tight; I'll be ready to go in a few minutes. The doctor said to sit tight until he arrived. The gangsters sat tight in the mountains while the police looked for them.
Compare: STAND PAT.

tight end|end|tight

n. An end in football who plays close to the tackle in the line. The tight end is used to catch passes but most often to block.
Antonym: SPLIT END.

tight money|money|tight

n. phr. The opposite of inflation, when money is hard to borrow from the banks. The government decided that tight money is the way to bring down inflation.

tight squeeze|squeeze|tight

n. phr. A difficult situation; financial troubles. The Browns aren't going out to dinner these days; they are in a tight squeeze.

tight-lipped|lip|tight

adj. A taciturn person; one who doesn't say much. The witness was tight-lipped about what she saw for fear of physical retaliation by the mob.

tighten one's belt|belt|tighten

v. phr. To live on less money than usual; use less food and other things. When father lost his job we had to tighten our belts. Often used in the expression "tighten one's belt another notch". When the husband lost his job, the Smiths had to do without many things, but when their savings were all spent, they had to tighten their belts another notch.

tighten the screws|screw|screws|tighten

v. phr. To try to make someone do something by making it more and more difficult not to do it; apply pressure. When many students still missed class after he began giving daily quizzes, the teacher tightened the screws by failing anyone absent four times.

tightwad

n. phr. A stingy person. My father is such a tightwad that he won't give me an allowance.

uptight|tight|up|up tight

adj., slang, informal Worried, irritated, excessively eager or anxious. Why are you so uptight about getting that job? The more you worry, the less you'll succeed.

walk a tightrope|tightrope|walk

v. phr. To be in a dangerous or awkward situation where one cannot afford to make a single mistake. "When we landed on the moon in 1969," Armstrong explained, "we were walking a tightrope till the very end."

in a tight corner

in a tight corner
Also, in a tight spot. See under in a bind.

tight as a drum

tight as a drum
Taut or close-fitting; also, watertight. For example, That baby's eaten so much that the skin on his belly is tight as a drum, or You needn't worry about leaks; this tent is tight as a drum. Originally this expression alluded to the skin of a drumhead, which is tightly stretched, and in the mid-1800s was transferred to other kinds of tautness. Later, however, it sometimes referred to a drum-shaped container, such as an oil drum, which had to be well sealed to prevent leaks, and the expression then signified “watertight.”

tight rein on, a

tight rein on, a
Strict control over, as in We told them to keep a tight rein on spending for the next year. This expression alludes to the narrow strap (rein) attached to a bit and used to control a horse's movements. Rein has been used to refer to any kind of restraint since the first half of the 1400s.

tighten the screws

tighten the screws
see under turn up the heat on.

tightrope

tightrope
see walk a tightrope.

More Idioms/Phrases

tight as a drum tight rein on, a tighten the screws tightrope tile till till all hours tilt time