close as wax
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
miserly, tight, or secretive
Register: colloquial
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “close as wax” mean?
miserly, tight, or secretive
Is “close as wax” formal or informal?
close as wax is generally colloquial.