poor mouth

[ poor-mohth ]
/ ˈpʊər ˌmoʊθ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR poor mouth ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

a person who continually complains about a lack of money.
a plea or complaint of poverty, often as an excuse for not contributing to charities, paying bills, etc.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for poor mouth

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

Origin of poor mouth

First recorded in 1815–25

Words nearby poor mouth

Poor Joe, poor law, poorly, poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma, poor man's orange, poor mouth, poor rate, poor relation, Poor Richard's Almanac, Poor Richard's Almanack, Poor Robin's plantain

Definition for poor mouth (2 of 2)

poor-mouth
[ poor-mouth ]
/ ˈpʊərˌmaʊθ /
Informal.

verb (used without object), poor-mouthed [poor-moutht, -mouthd], /ˈpʊərˌmaʊθt, -ˌmaʊðd/, poor-mouth·ing.

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

verb (used with object), poor-mouthed [poor-moutht, -mouthd], /ˈpʊərˌmaʊθt, -ˌmaʊðd/, poor-mouth·ing.

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.
bad-mouth.

Origin of poor-mouth

1965–70; Americanism; originally in verb phrases put up a poor mouth, make a poor mouth
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to poor mouth

lessen, reduce, play down, decrease, underestimate, diminish, downplay, curtail, sully, malign, blacken, taint, defame, slander, vilify, besmirch, criticize, decry, squelch, discredit

British Dictionary definitions for poor mouth

poor mouth
/ Irish /

noun

unjustified complaining, esp to excite sympathyshe always has the poor mouth

verb poor-mouth (tr)

informal to speak of disparagingly; decry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012