tight

tight¹ W3S2 [taıt] adj comparative tighter superlative tightest

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1¦(clothes)¦

2¦(pulled/stretched firmly)¦

3¦(attached firmly)¦

4¦(holding something firmly)¦

5¦(strict)¦

6¦(little money)¦

7¦(little time)¦

8¦(little space)¦

9¦(not generous )¦

10¦(close together)¦

11¦(close relationship)¦

12¦(bend/turn)¦

13¦(chest/stomach/throat)¦

14¦(expression/smile/voice)¦

15¦(difficult situation)¦

16¦(play/performance)¦

17¦(game/competition)¦

18¦(drunk)¦

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[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: thight 'closely packed, solid, thick' (14-19 centuries), probably from a Scandinavian language]

1.) ¦(CLOTHES)¦

tight clothes fit your body very closely, especially in a way that is uncomfortable

≠ ↑loose

▪ tight jeans

▪ My shoes were so tight that I could hardly walk.

▪ The jacket is rather a tight fit (=it fits too tightly) .

2.) ¦(PULLED/STRETCHED FIRMLY)¦

string, wire, cloth etc that is tight has been pulled or stretched firmly so that it is straight or cannot move

▪ The bandage must be tight enough to stop the bleeding.

▪ She tied the rope around the post and pulled it tight .

3.) ¦(ATTACHED FIRMLY)¦

a screw, lid etc that is tight is firmly attached and difficult to move

▪ Check that the screws are tight.

4.) ¦(HOLDING SOMETHING FIRMLY)¦

a tight hold/grip

if you keep or have a tight hold on something, you hold it firmly

▪ His mother kept a tight hold on his hand.

5.) ¦(STRICT)¦

controlling something very strictly or firmly

▪ The government is keeping tight control on immigration.

keep a tight grip/hold/rein on sth

(=control it very firmly)

▪ The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power.

▪ Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings.

▪ Security is always tight for the opening day of parliament.

run/keep a tight ship

(=manage a company, organization etc strictly and effectively)

6.) ¦(LITTLE MONEY)¦

if money is tight, you do not have enough of it

money is tight/things are tight

▪ Money was tight and he needed a job badly.

▪ As you know, I run the magazine on a pretty tight budget .

7.) ¦(LITTLE TIME)¦

if time is tight, it is difficult for you to do everything you need to do in the time available

▪ Time is tight , and she has another meeting to go to this afternoon.

▪ We should arrive on time, but it'll be tight.

▪ As usual, his schedule on Saturday was tight (=he had arranged to do several things in a short time) .

▪ I''m working to a very tight deadline (=I have to finish a piece of work vey quickly) .

8.) ¦(LITTLE SPACE)¦

if space is tight, there is only just enough space to fit something into a place

be a tight squeeze/fit

▪ Six in the car will be a tight squeeze.

9.) ¦(NOT GENEROUS )¦ informal

not generous, or trying hard to avoid spending money

▪ Don't be so tight!

10.)¦(CLOSE TOGETHER)¦

placed or standing closely together

▪ The animal's body was curled up in a tight little ball.

▪ She wore her hair in a tight bun.

11.) ¦(CLOSE RELATIONSHIP)¦

a tight group of people, countries etc have a close relationship with each other

= ↑tight-knit

▪ Together, the young film-makers formed a tight group.

▪ the tight bonds that had grown between them

12.) ¦(BEND/TURN)¦

a tight bend or turn is very curved and turns quickly in another direction

▪ Danny lost control on a tight bend, and the car ran off the road.

13.) ¦(CHEST/STOMACH/THROAT)¦

if your chest, stomach, or throat feels tight, it feels painful and uncomfortable, because you are ill or worried

▪ Before she went on stage her chest felt tight and her throat hurt.

14.) ¦(EXPRESSION/SMILE/VOICE)¦

a tight expression, smile, or voice shows that you are annoyed or worried

= ↑tight-lipped

▪ 'Look, I'm sorry ...,' she said, forcing a tight smile.

15.) ¦(DIFFICULT SITUATION)¦

in a tight corner/spot informal

in a difficult situation

▪ He's a good man to have around if ever you're in a tight corner.

▪ 'Did something go wrong?' 'Let's just say I got into a bit of a tight spot.'

16.) ¦(PLAY/PERFORMANCE)¦

playing a piece of music or giving a performance very exactly and well, without any pauses or mistakes

▪ The band gave a really tight performance.

▪ a tight, well-rehearsed production

17.) ¦(GAME/COMPETITION)¦

a tight game, competition etc is one in which the teams, players etc play equally well, and it is not easy to win

▪ The opening quarter of the game was very tight.

18.) ¦(DRUNK)¦ [not before noun]

old-fashioned informal drunk

→↑airtight, ↑watertight

>tightly adv

▪ Marie held the baby tightly in her arms.

>tightness n [U]

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WORD FOCUS: tight

clothes: skintight, figure-hugging, tight-fitting also close-fitting (BrE), snug

rope/wire/chain: taut

screw/lid/handle: be on firmly/tightly, be firmly fastened/closed

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tight ²

tight² adv

very firmly or closely

= ↑tightly

▪ Hold tight to the handrail!

▪ I kept my eyes tight shut .

→sit tight at ↑sit

→sleep tight at ↑sleep¹ (4)