The old man was known for his curmudgeonly ways, giving only one dollar as a birthday gift.

curmudgeonly 是由名词 curmudgeon（脾气暴躁的人）加上后缀 -ly 构成的形容词。curmudgeon 指脾气坏、吝啬或难以相处的人，-ly 后缀表示"具有...特性的"。 curmudgeonly 形容一个人脾气暴躁、吝啬小气或难以相处的性格特点。