Bordering on the niggardly (4)
I believe the answer is:
near
This clue is a double definition.
'bordering on' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)
'the niggardly' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)
(Other definitions for near that I've seen before include "Miserly and proximate" , "Close - tight" , "Miserly; approach" , "Approaching" , "unlikely to spend much?" .)