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• poor mouth
  poor mouth

  noun

  a person who continually complains about a lack of money.
• poor-mouth
  poor-mouth

  verb (used without object)

  to lament or argue that one is too poor; plead poverty.

poor mouth

¹ American  

[poor mohth] / ˈpʊər ˌmoʊθ /

noun

Informal.

1. a person who continually complains about a lack of money.

2. a plea or complaint of poverty, often as an excuse for not contributing to charities, paying bills, etc.

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idioms

1. cry poor mouth, to complain, especially habitually, about a lack of money. Also talk a poor mouth.

poor-mouth ² American  

[poor-mouth] / ˈpʊərˌmaʊθ /

verb (used without object)

poor-mouthed, poor-mouthing

1. to lament or argue that one is too poor; plead poverty.

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verb (used with object)

poor-mouthed, poor-mouthing

1. to declare (one's ability, power, position, etc.) to be inadequate or disappointing, sometimes as an intentional understatement; downplay.

   We know you're just poor-mouthing your skill at playing bridge—you're a good player.

2. bad-mouth.

poor mouth British  

noun

1. unjustified complaining, esp to excite sympathy

   she always has the poor mouth

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verb

1. informal to speak of disparagingly; decry

Etymology

Origin of poor mouth¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Origin of poor-mouth²

1965–70; originally in verb phrases put up a poor mouth, make a poor mouth

Example Sentences

Critics contend it will make poor math outcomes worse.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 31, 2023

Sunak said poor math skills in adults were holding back the economy, and students without a solid foundation in mathematics would be left behind in the working world.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023

Would supposed orchids, for example, really be equally susceptible to different exposures, such as skilled literacy instruction, emotionally supportive parenting, peer rejection and poor math instruction?

From Scientific American • Mar. 15, 2022

I graduated, but my poor math skills were why I quit college.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2018

Additionally, calorie labeling had a greater impact on obese participants in the study than on non-obese participants, while traffic-light labeling was particularly effective for participants who were shown to have poor math skills.

From US News • Jun. 16, 2016

Related Words

• curtail
• decrease
• diminish
• downplay
• lessen
• play down
• reduce
• trivialize
• underestimate