What it means
Properly broke, like bank balance in single digits and you're counting the coins down the sofa. Skint is stronger than just being a bit short, it’s the vibe where you’re dodging rounds, making noodles last three meals, and treating payday like a myth. Super common in everyday chat, especially when bills have just landed.
Usage examples
"I'd love a pint but I've just paid rent and my Oyster's eating fumes, I'm skint till payday, so it's a night in with toast."
"I am completely skint until Friday, so instead of the restaurant let us do a big pot of pasta at mine and a film on the sofa."
"Can't do brunch this weekend, I'm absolutely skint after the gas bill rinsed me."
"We were gonna get a taxi home but everyone's skint, so we're doing the long walk and pretending it's character building."
"I'm not being tight, I'm just skint this month, so if we're going out it's got to be somewhere that does chips for three quid."
Where it comes from
Skint is established British and Irish slang for having no money. It's widely linked to skinned, in the sense of being stripped bare or left with nothing. The word shows up in the 19th century and stuck around because it nails that very everyday state of being properly broke without sounding dramatic.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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