tight as a tick

adjective3

1. •
   Fully inflated; swollen near to bursting.

   • I blow it up until it's tight as a tick. Just below the skirt through which the lanyard passes, a tiny mouth whistles a single-note tune until the balloon's lungs are emptied. — 2002
2. •
   (slang) Drunk, inebriated.

   • For there ain't no kick Getting tight as a tick When you know that you're not breaking the law — 1933
3. •
   (slang) Unwilling to spend money.

   • The last time she had visited, Sean's father, Tiny Tim, who was tight as a tick with his money, jovially presided over the place, one big yard filled with rusting cars. — 2003