poor farm
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of poor farm
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said the tradition of covering faces with soot derived from poor farm workers in the 1400s who would use it to disguise themselves so they could beg - which was illegal at the time.
From BBC • May 1, 2021
The discovery of a dragon’s egg puts a poor farm boy on the path to his destiny to be a Dragon Rider and defeat an evil king.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2020
A brief history of the Washington County poor farm, orphanage and homes for aged men and aged women is posted on the county website.
From Washington Times • Dec. 29, 2019
But today, having worked his way from being a poor farm boy in the mountains to Norway’s wealthiest resident, he is not so sure independence was such a good idea.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2014
Maybe if she told them about the bear—about how close her family’d come to moving to the poor farm.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
