核心畫面

One way to see it: somebody was measuring out how much to give, and held a bit back. What arrives is real but short of what it should be. Food, notes, evidence, cloth, it is always the same act of holding back, and the word carries a small complaint about it.

可以想成有人在量「要給多少」,然後手一收,留了一點沒給出去。送到你面前的東西是真的,但明顯比該有的少。飯、筆記、證據更多收起可以想成有人在量「要給多少」,然後手一收,留了一點沒給出去。送到你面前的東西是真的,但明顯比該有的少。飯、筆記、證據、布料,都是同一個「留一手」的動作,而這個字本身就帶著一點對這件事的抱怨。

From the word’s history

The source gives the formation directly: skimp plus -y. Skimp is to save by giving less than you should, and -y turns that act into the look of the thing it produces.

來源直接說明了組成:skimp 加 -y。skimp 是「該給的省下來」,加上 -y 就變成形容那個動作做出來的結果。

Wiktionary etymology supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1136905388:13215)

From the picture

布料很少的衣服

同一個「留一手」的畫面,只是被省下來的是布。

adjective · B2

Used about clothes that are very short or very small and cover little of the body; our sources say it is said most often about women's clothes such as a dress, skirt, or swimsuit.

(衣服)短小、遮得很少的

Also in this word

adjective · B2

Smaller or less than you need or expect: a portion, a meal, a report, or an amount of information that leaves you short.

太少的;不夠的