short-change (one)

short-change (one)

To cheat someone out of the amount they had expected or were promised. Fast-food restaurants always short-change you on the soft drinks by filling the cups with ice. I feel like he short-changed the audience by finishing the concert after less than an hour.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • be under the pump
  • clip
  • under the pump
  • be as honest as the day is long
  • do (someone) down
  • from there to here
  • honest as the day is long