tight

Etymology

From Middle English tight, tyght, tyȝt, tiht, variants of thight, thiht, from Old English *þiht, *þīht (attested in meteþiht), from Proto-West Germanic *þį̄ht(ī), from Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tenkt- (“dense, thick, tight”), from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, pull”). Cognate with Scots ticht, West Frisian ticht, Danish tæt, Icelandic þéttur (“dense”), Norwegian tett, Swedish tät, Dutch dicht (“dense”), German dicht (“dense”).

adj

1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
   1. Unyielding or firm.
      tight control on a situation; tight clothing
   2. Under high tension; taut.
      Make sure to pull the rope tight.
      The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […]. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess
      The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with a tight hamstring after only 11 minutes. November 10, 2011, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph
   3. (colloquial) Scarce, hard to come by.
      I grew up in a poor neighborhood; money was very tight, but we made do.
   4. (colloquial, figurative) Intimately friendly.
      We've grown tighter over the years.
   5. (slang, figurative, usually derogatory) Miserly or frugal.
      He's a bit tight with his money.
      You say he's a Jew, does it mean that he's tight? 1995, Jewel (lyrics and music), “Who Will Save Your Soul”
2. (of a space, design or arrangement) Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
   1. Fitting close, or too close, to the body.
      a tight coat;  My socks are too tight.
   2. Of a turn, sharp, so that the timeframe for making it is narrow and following it is difficult.
      The mountain pass was made dangerous by its many tight corners.
   3. Lacking holes; difficult to penetrate; waterproof.
      He reported the hull was tight and secure and did not leak a drop. 1965, MotorBoating, page 145
      Security is tight inside and outside the building, guarded by a bewildering collection of soldiers, policemen and gendarmes. Relatives watch as prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons shuffle past. 27 November 2014, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian
3. Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
   Their marching band is extremely tight.
   1. (sports) Not conceding many goals.
      The odd thing was that Sunderland made the better start and showed early signs that they might pose serious problems to the Premier League’s tightest defence. 18 October 2014, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian
4. (slang) Intoxicated; drunk or acting like being drunk.
   We went drinking and got tight.
   And every single night when me da’ would come home tight he’d invite the neighbours out with this chorus. c. 1930, Dominic Behan (lyrics and music), “Come Out Ye Black and Tans”performed by The Wolfe Tones
   I'm going to celebrate my divorce! And then I'm going to get tight. 1940, Effie Butler, Misbehaving Husbands
   And then he insisted on champagne for dinner and by the time we got to our little cinema we were both rather tight. 1980 [1962], Ian Fleming, chapter 3, in The Spy Who Loved Me, page 38
   Johnny walked into the Castle Bar, looking to get tight. 2001, Gaelic Storm, Johnny Tarr (on the album Tree)
5. (slang) Extraordinarily great or special.
   That is one tight bicycle!
6. (slang, British (regional)) Mean; unfair; unkind.
   Reilly: Ey, Miss, hang on, hang on... can we come with y', Miss? Can we? Digga: Go on, Miss, don't be tight, let's come. 1977, Willy Russell, Our Day Out, act 1, scene 1
   "Ah leave him, ay!" goes one of the girls. "Don't be tight." I turns to her. "Don't you think it's tight terrorising old ladies? Ay?" 2001, Kevin Sampson, Outlaws, page 244
   "That's right ... so even when life's a grind, the Thais keep smiling. They think the farang are a miserable lot who have to get drunk to enjoy themselves." "Dutch, that's tight mate, I mean what's wrong with getting pissed. When you're not working, you gotta have a good time," said Darren. 2011, Andrew Hicks, Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no', unnumbered page
7. (of time) Limited or restricted.
   We had a very tight schedule.
   It is kept super-clean by helpful staff who still find the time to help customers with tight connections. January 12 2022, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Eastbourne”, in RAIL, number 948, page 26
8. (obsolete) Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy.
   clad very plain, but clean and tight
   I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight. 1714, John Gay, The What D'ye Call It
   Richard: But here she comes! … (Enter Rose — he is much struck by her.) By the Port Admiral, but she's a tight little craft! 1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore
9. (obsolete) Handy; adroit; brisk.
10. (poker) Of a player, who plays very few hands.
11. (poker) Using a strategy which involves playing very few hands.
12. (informal, of persons) Intimate, close, close-knit.
13. (US, slang, motor racing) A car with understeer, primarily used to describe NASCAR stock cars.
14. (United States (regional), slang) Angry or irritated.
    "I was trying to be like a lady, but y'all be getting me tight!" 2016, Cardi B, Washpoppin

adv

1. Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.
   Make sure the lid is closed tight.
   'I had my eyes tight shut.' 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 100
2. Soundly.
   Good night, sleep tight.

verb

1. (obsolete) To tighten.