Literal translation
to have sea urchins in one's pockets
Meaning
to be stingy
Explanation
To be stingy. The sea urchin, familiar to anyone who has swum off the Provençal coast, stings the moment it is touched, making it the perfect image for whatever keeps a miser's hand out of his pocket. The pocket itself recalls the rocky crevices where the urchin lodges. Stinginess is frowned upon in Provence, as another saying puts it, l'argènt es redoun, fòu que barrule, money is round, it has to roll.