Scarcity

Question 1

A dearth of something.

Answer 1

A scarcity or lack of something, especially food.

“There is a dearth of evidence.”

Question 2

A deficit.

Answer 2

The amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small; a deficiency or failing, especially in a neurological or psychological function.

“The fund will absorb the deficit in the Rover pension scheme.”
“Deficits in speech comprehension.”

Question 3

Destitute, destitute of something.

Answer 3

Extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself; not having something.

“The charity cares for destitute children.”
“Towns destitute of commerce.”

Question 4

Exiguous,the exiguity of something, exiguously.

Answer 4

Very small in size or amount.

“You gave me an exiguous amount of time to answer that.”
“An exiguous income.”

Question 5

Impecunious, impecuniosity.

Answer 5

Having little or no money.

“A titled but impecunious family.”

Question 6

Impoverish someone or something, impoverished, impoverishment.

Answer 6

Made poor or with diminished quality of life; of soil: deprived of fertility.

“One of the most impoverished suburbs of the city.”
“Plants that impoverish the soil quickly.”

Question 7

An indigent, indigent,the indigence of someone.

Answer 7

So poor as to lack even necessities, very needy.

“A charity for the relief of indigent artists.”
“The Los Angeles County public hospital system nowadays mostly treats indigents.”

Question 8

Insolvent, insolvency.

Answer 8

Unable to pay debts owed.

“The company became insolvent.”

Question 9

Meager,the meagerness of something, meagerly.

Answer 9

Of something provided or available: lacking in quantity or quality; of a body: lean, thin.

“They were forced to supplement their meager earnings.”
“A tall, meager, but erect man.”

Question 10

The needy (plural), needy, neediness.

Answer 10

Of a person: lacking the necessities of life, very poor; of a person: needing emotional support.

“The provision of humanitarian assistance to the needy.”
“He comes from a needy background.”
“He was desperately needy in his sexual and emotional demands.”

Question 11

Paltry,a paltriness of something.

Answer 11

Of an amount: very small or meager; petty, worthless.

“She would earn a paltry amount a month.”
“He was our coachman, and my father once had him arrested, on account of some paltry offence, for twenty-four hours.”

Question 12

A paucity of something.

Answer 12

The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts.

“A paucity of information.”

Question 13

Penniless, pennilessness.

Answer 13

Of a person: having no money, very poor.

“A penniless young student.”

Question 14

Penury (U), penurious.

Answer 14

The state of being very poor.
Adjective: very poor; avaricious.

“He couldn’t face another year of penury.”
“There were many penurious students.”
“His wife was stingy and penurious.”

Question 15

Scanty,a scantiness of something, scantily.

Answer 15

Small or insufficient in quantity or amount; of clothing: short and revealing.

“They paid whatever they could out of their scanty wages to their families.”
“The women looked cold in their scanty bodices.”

Question 16

Sparse, a sparsity of something, sparsely.

Answer 16

Thinly dispersed or scattered; scanty, in short supply.

“Areas of sparse population.”
“Information on earnings is sparse.”

Question 17

In want of something.

Answer 17

A lack or deficiency of something; the state of being poor and in need of essentials, poverty.

“Victorian houses which are in want of repair.”
“Men, he claimed, are in want of youth, good skin and lustrous hair.”

Question 18

A shortage of something.

Answer 18

A state or situation in which something needed cannot be obtained in sufficient amounts.

“We are facing food shortages.”
“The problems of land shortage in the countryside.”

Question 19

To be few and far between.

Answer 19

To be scarce, infrequent.

“Make it easy on yourself - enjoy the magic moments in life - they are too few and far between.”

Question 20

To be hard to come by.

Answer 20

To be hard to get, scarce.

“At that time, teaching jobs abroad were hard to come by.”

Question 21

A shortfall in something.

Answer 21

A deficit of something required or expected.

“They are facing an expected $10 billion shortfall in revenue.”

Question 22

To distress someone or something, to be in distress, distress (U), distressed.

Answer 22

To cause someone sorrow, pain or difficulty cause by a lack of money; of furniture or clothing: To give simulated marks of age and wear.
Noun: To be in sorrow, pain or in financial difficulty.

"They say that the school didn't protect her and that she's suffering emotional distress."
"A company in financial distress."
"Please don't distress yourself."
"A distressed leather jacket."
"Women in distressed circumstances."

Question 23

To beggar someone, a beggar, beggared.

Answer 23

To reduce someone to poverty.
Noun: A person, typically a homeless one, who lives by asking for money or food.

“Those of the left claimed that naive women were seduced into becoming avaricious consumers, beggaring their families.”

Question 24

Down and out, a down-and-out (noun).

Answer 24

Of a person: without money, a job or a place to live; of a competitor: facing certain defeat.

“We were not down and out or destitute, which is the picture some people have tried to paint.”
“He looked down and out after being hit by three goals in 12 minutes just after the break.”
“A hostel for down-and-outs.”

Question 25

To be on the breadline.

Answer 25

The poorest condition in which it is acceptable to live.

“They are not well off, but they are not on the breadline.”

Question 26

To be dirt-poor.

Answer 26

Extremely poor.

“We were not rich, for sure, but we were not poor either - at least not dirt poor.”

Question 27

To be on one’s uppers.

Answer 27

Extremely short of money.

“Joe invited us out to lunch because we were both on our uppers.”

Question 28

To be in queer street.

Answer 28

In difficulty, typically by being in debt.

“My parents have been in queer street since my father lost his job.”

Question 29

To be without or not to have two pennies to rub together.

Answer 29

Be very poor.

Question 30

To be necessitous.

Answer 30

Of a person: Lacking the necessities of life, needy.

“I want also to see panels of voluntary nurses who can be detailed off to attend to necessitous patients in their own home.”

Question 31

To be slender.

Answer 31

Of a person or part of the body: gracefully thin; of something abstract: barely sufficient in amount.

“Her slender neck.”
“By a slender majority of four to three, the High Court bought the argument.”

Question 32

To skimp - intransitive, a skimp, skimpy, skimpiness, skimpily.

Answer 32

Expend or use less time, money, or material on something than is necessary in an attempt to economize.
Noun: A fashionably short or revealing garment.
Adjective: Providing or consisting of less than is needed, meager; of clothes: short and revealing.

“Don’t skimp on insurance when you book your holidays.”
“She wore a yellow skimp.”
“My knowledge of music is extremely skimpy.”
“A skimpy dress.”

Question 33

Stingy, a stinge, stinginess, stingily.

Answer 33

Mean, ungenerous.
Noun: A mean or ungenerous person.

“His boss is stingy and idle.”
“I’m a bit of a stinge.”