What do these five words have in common: скверный, скаредный, скупой, скудный and скудоумный? (it's not a trick question!) Yep. They all begin with "ck." It seems that the "ck" sound in Russian is equivalent to something like "yuk" or "ew" in English. Hence, Скверный (nasty), Скаредный (cheap), скупой (stingy), Скудный (pitifully small), and скудоумный (unintelligent). So the next time you see a "ck" word, it may be safe to assume a negative connotation.
Some useful "ck" expressions:
Он скуден умом (He's poor in brains)
Он не глупый, но он скудоумный (he's not stupid, but he's limited)
скупой начальник (stingy boss)
скупой на слова (quiet, or stingy with words)
скупой на похвалу (begrudging praise)
Скупой платит дважды (a miser pays twice)
Source: здесь
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