勒緊褲頭

Alternative forms

 * 勒緊褲帶

Etymology
Literally "tightly fasten the waistband/belt of the trousers", an implication of significant underweight and consequently very low waist circumference. This is a figurative way to express someone's state of being financially poor, regardless if the individual is actually underweight as a result of poverty.

Idiom

 * 1) financial austerity; cost-cutting; consequence or measure of being financially poor

Usage notes

 * This idiom is rarely used literally to express an individual's skinny physique without the implication of poor financial prosperity.