near, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

near adj.

also nearbegone

[northern dial. near, grasping, covetous]

miserly, cheap.

1778		Thrale Thraliana i Mar.-Apr. 264: [A]t nine o'Clock we went to her Lodgings—She was too near meaning too penurious, to have a House of Her own.
1838		‘Alfred Crowquill’ Seymour’s Humourous Sketches (1866) 47: When I suppose a covey as near — as my miser of an uncle — they are probably as distant — as my ninety-ninth cousin!
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 389/2: I mean to live very near this week, and get a few shillings if I can to try something at Greenwich.
1873		Sl. Dict. 235: Near mean and stingy.
1890		‘Morris the Mohel’ ‘Houndsditch Day By Day’ in Sporting Times 11 Jan. 3: ‘Ith all dark up ’ere, an’ no vun can see me, so I thought I’d slip orf my trouthers; it thaves vearin’ ’em out!’ Shemore beni, they vas near!
1896		Regiment 19 Sept. 375/2: Yet his father was a rich man, though rather ‘near,’ as they say.
1910		Sporting Times 1 Jan. 1/2: Here is a story of the late Mr. Salting, the great collector, who was very ‘near,’ to put it mildly, in all matters of ordinary life.
1914		G.A. England ‘Rural Locutions of Maine and Northern New Hampshire’ in DN IV:ii 77: near, adj. Stingy, mean.
1939		P. Gallagher My Story n.p.: He was a very nice man and absolutely honest, but very near [BS].
1976		V. King Weeping and Laughter 222: He was certainly a bit ‘near’. His food was not very good and, though eaten off silver plates, did not reveal the vulgarity of overabundance.
1983		W.F Marshall ‘Sarah Ann’ in Livin’ in Drumlister 73: Did ye iver know wee Robert? Well, he’s nothin’ but a wart, / A nearbegone oul’ divil with a wee black heart.

In derivatives

neardy (n.)

a boss, a master, an overseer.

1864, 1867, 1870

Hotten Sl. Dict.

nearness (n.)

miserliness.

1903

Bulletin (Sydney) 20 Aug. 16/2: Since then I have acquired the reputation of ‘nearness’ because I actually asked for a drink of milk!

SE in slang uses

In compounds

near go (n.) (also near one) [SE near + go n.¹ (3)]

a near thing a ‘close shave’.

1929		K.S. Prichard Coonardoo 245: It was a near go for Bill all right!
1935		G. Ingram Cockney Cavalcade 216: That was a near one, wasn’t it? They meant putting you out.
1939		K. Tennant Foveaux 52: ‘Gee, boss,’ she shrilled, ‘that was a near go for George.’.

near-sighted (adj.)

(US gay) uncircumcised, esp. of an uncircumcised penis with its tip protruding slightly above the foreskin.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 32: nearsighted (adj.): Uncircumcised penis, but with part of the tip protruding.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.
1988		H. Max Gay (S)language.