When its meaning is what the speaker or writer intends to convey. When skinflint won't do. When parsimonious doesn't say what the speaker intends. When cheap doesn't hit the mark. Each of these words has a meaning; and each meaning is distinctly different from that of niggardly. In my opinion, there isn't a good substitute for niggardly. To my mind, that's the hallmark of a useful word—a word we can't do without.
Any time someone tries to replace a word with a clause to achieve the same effect, I know the editing is going in the wrong direction. Ockham's method applies to sentences as well as to arguments.
Any time someone tries to replace a word with a clause to achieve the same effect, I know the editing is going in the wrong direction. Ockham's method applies to sentences as well as to arguments.