Talk:chary

RFV discussion: March–June 2014
"Sparing; not lavish; not disposed to give freely; frugal; ungenerous." This sense is not in Chambers. Also, the given usex, "I am chary of giving him too many compliments and favours", does not appear to match the sense; here, the word means "cautious", which is a different (extant) sense. Equinox ◑ 22:38, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
 * MW Online has: "b: slow to grant, accept, or expend ", the "expend" element of which is close to the sense challenged. Presumably a search for "chary of gifts|compliments|favors|loans|handouts" would provide support for at least the broader MW sense. DCDuring TALK  23:19, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
 * I found sufficient support for it, but I'm skeptical about the breadth of usage in the challenged sense. DCDuring TALK 00:06, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
 * The OED has seven senses, most of them obsolete. It doesn't mark this "sparing" sense as obsolete, but I'd be inclined to believe that it is at least dated.    D b f  i  r  s   20:11, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
 * The OED's cheese-paring, nip-farthing opinions regarding currency will get it, and us, into trouble. I believe the term is in rather common use in contemporary 'Regency Romance' literature, in the cited sense and others. - Amgine/t&middot;e 22:25, 26 March 2014 (UTC)
 * It was my opinion that the sense was "dated". The OED doesn't make that claim.  Which other senses are used in contemporary 'Regency Romance' literature?    D b f  i  r  s   08:55, 29 March 2014 (UTC)


 * RFV passed: some quotations are in the entry. Whether the quotations currently placed for "sparing" should be placed to "Cautious; wary; shy." is not entirely clear from the quotations, IMHO. Dictionaries with a similar separate sense: AHD sense 2, Collins sense 4. Curiously enough, Webster 1913 mixes things up in one sense: "Careful; wary; cautious; not rash, reckless, or spendthrift; saving; frugal." --Dan Polansky (talk) 08:00, 28 June 2014 (UTC)