poor mouth
noun
a person who continually complains about a lack of money.
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poor mouth
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poor-mouth
poor-mouthverb (used without object)to lament or argue that one is too poor; plead poverty.
poor mouth
1 American
[poor mohth]
/ ˈpʊər ˌmoʊθ /
noun
Informal.
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a person who continually complains about a lack of money.
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a plea or complaint of poverty, often as an excuse for not contributing to charities, paying bills, etc.
idioms
poor-mouth
2
American
[poor-mauth]
/ ˈpʊərˌmaʊθ /
verb (used without object)
poor-mouthed,
poor-mouthing
verb (used with object)
poor-mouthed,
poor-mouthing
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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.
poor mouth
British
noun
verb
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We are not going to cry the poor mouth, other than to say the reality of this challenge is too much.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2011
But what is making Mancini put on the poor mouth?
From The Guardian ● Sep. 24, 2010
And of course, he had the usual poor mouth.
From Duty, and other Irish Comedies by Seumas O'Brien
He had frequently spoken of his affairs as not very prosperous; was always, in fact, making a "sort of a poor mouth."
From The Two Wives Or, Lost and Won by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur
"Oh, Lor', you wor allus one for makin' a poor mouth, Patton!" said Mrs. Jellison.
From Marcella by Mrs. Humphry Ward
The city can’t cry poor-mouth, pleading a lack of money as a defense for allowing this outrageous condition to exist.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2019
He’d have to make a call, poor-mouth into the phone until his father’s wallet spit out more bills.
From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2013
On other the hand, in a contentious divorce, the goal is typically to poor-mouth your personal balance sheet as much as possible.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2010
Candidates traditionally inflate their foes' spending and poor-mouth their own, but their counterclaims give a good indication of the money involved.
From Time Magazine Archive
Says he: "They used to poor-mouth their economy, but after surviving the international turbulence of the 1970s, they are proud of Japan's economic resilience."
From Time Magazine Archive
Manfred has poor-mouthed the experience of team ownership, asserting that most owners could have done better by investing in the stock market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2022
He gave Katherine Heigl time to describe getting snubbed at a restaurant by her “Knocked Up” co-star Seth Rogen because she had poor-mouthed the movie in a Vanity Fair interview.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2016
He poor-mouthed to reporters that Brother Martin was bigger than Louisiana State and Tulane.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2012
"Maybe I poor-mouthed his chances too much, but I think he could have been nominated."
From Time Magazine Archive
The sharks and other large fishes, which have appeared in the Silurian, easily displace these clumsy and poor-mouthed competitors One almost thinks of the aeroplane superseding the navigable balloon.
From The Story of Evolution by Joseph McCabe
Any poor-mouthing attempts by MLB were preempted last week by the release of the Atlanta Braves’ financial statements, revealing a $104 million profit in 2021.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2022
Consumer advocates naturally are skeptical of the utilities' poor-mouthing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2018
Most government experts believe that Rowny is excessively poor-mouthing the Minuteman, which is actually a formidable weapon in its own right.
From Time Magazine Archive
Learning that one of Wallace's aides was poor-mouthing his chances of becoming President, she braced the man, threatened to get him fired if he expressed such a sentiment again.
From Time Magazine Archive
Constant poor-mouthing can either grow tedious or, worse, seem like trolling for compliments.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
