It’s a Gloucestershire adjective for being careful with ones hard earned.

The opposite word for it might be generous. When I was at college all those years ago the only money we had was what the Government kindly gave us as a grant, or what we could earn on the side by taking a job of some sort. My good friend at college was notoriously generous, but this meant he was frequently without funds. I recall that he came to me one day, looking at me clear eyed in the day and asked me if I could possibly forward some of my hard earned money as a temporary loan. I clenched my teeth and said rightly that I did not have that much myself, but not wanting to be thought of as “Toit” I eventually gave in and pulled a neat note out of my leather effect wallet to hand over to him.

“Oh thanks mate” he said waving my note in front of his nose before it was to disappear into his pocket. “Can I buy you a drink then?” he said with gratitude. “What?” said I ” You are going to buy us both a drink with the cash you’ve just borrowed from me?” I blurted in disbelief.

He looked at me with great sadness, shrugged his shoulders and said ” Well, there’s no need to be like that is there?”