Squeezes a Nickel Till the Buffalo Hollers
In Southern and Appalachian speech, squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers means extremely stingy or tight with money. It comes from the buffalo nickel, joking that someone’s so cheap they make the buffalo cry out from being squeezed too hard.
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synonyms: stingy, tightfisted, miserly, frugal, cheap
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Somebody 'squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers' is another one I've only read. I'd say it's more old timers than anything nowadays. Hillbilly Dude Says...
Somebody 'squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers' is another one I've only read. I'd say it's more old timers than anything nowadays. Pronunciation
[skwee-zuhs uh NIK-ul till
thuh BUFF-uh-loh HALL-urz]
/ˈskwiːzɪz ə ˈnɪkəl tɪl ðə ˈbʌfəloʊ ˈhɑlərz/
thuh BUFF-uh-loh HALL-urz]
/ˈskwiːzɪz ə ˈnɪkəl tɪl ðə ˈbʌfəloʊ ˈhɑlərz/
Meaning & Usage
- Extremely stingy or careful with money (idiom)
Ruby:
He squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers - won’t buy coffee unless it’s half-price.
He squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers - won’t buy coffee unless it’s half-price.
Earl:
He’s tighter than bark on a tree, that’s for sure.
He’s tighter than bark on a tree, that’s for sure.variations: squeezes a nickel till the buffalo cries, squeezes a dime till it squeals, so tight the eagle screams
★ If the buffalo’s hollerin’, the fella’s squeezin’ too hard - a playful way Southerners rib each other about bein’ tight with money. ★
Origin and Etymology
The saying came from the buffalo nickel, minted from 1913 to 1938. During hard times, Southerners used the image as comic shorthand for thrift and stinginess. The expression spread across the South and Appalachia, where folks took pride in makin’ a dollar stretch and laughin’ about it, too.
Usage Notes
Still heard in jokes and storytelling, especially among older Southerners. "Squeezes a nickel till the buffalo hollers" may sound like an insult, but it’s often affectionate - acknowledging a person’s thrift as much as their stubbornness.
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How to Cite This Page
- APA (7th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, November 18). Squeezes a Nickel Till the Buffalo Hollers. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/squeezes-a-nickel-till-the-buffalo-hollers
- MLA (9th edition)"The Hillbilly Dude." "Squeezes a Nickel Till the Buffalo Hollers." HillbillySlang.com, 18 Nov. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/squeezes-a-nickel-till-the-buffalo-hollers.
- Chicago (17th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. "Squeezes a Nickel Till the Buffalo Hollers." HillbillySlang.com. November 18, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/squeezes-a-nickel-till-the-buffalo-hollers.
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