Meaning
Money is scarce; times are hard financially — 'money tight' or 'tings tight' means cash is short and every dollar has to stretch. A constant everyday complaint in hard economic times, it describes the pinch of a tight budget, when 'di money nah run' and people are 'holding strain'. The opposite is money being 'easy' or 'flowing'.
Examples
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Money tight dis month, wi haffi cut back.
Money is tight this month; we have to cut back.
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Tings tight, everybody a struggle.
Times are hard; everybody's struggling.
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When money tight, wi eat plenty grung provision.
When money's tight, we eat plenty of ground provisions.
Origin
From 'money' + 'tight' (scarce/constrained); financially hard times. See [[hol-strain]], [[bruk-pocket]].
How it’s used
Money is scarce / times are financially hard ('tings tight'). See [[hol-strain]], [[bruk-pocket]].