poor mouth

¹

[ poor mohth ]

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.

poor-mouth

²

[ poor-mouth ]

verb (used without object)

, poor-mouthed [poor, -moutht, -mou, th, d], poor-mouth·ing.

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

verb (used with object)

, poor-mouthed [poor, -moutht, -mou, th, d], poor-mouth·ing.

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

noun

1. unjustified complaining, esp to excite sympathy

   she always has the poor mouth

verb

1. informal.
   to speak of disparagingly; decry

Word History and Origins

Origin of poor mouth¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Origin of poor mouth²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Example Sentences

The next time you hear Gov. Rick Scott or leaders in the Florida Legislature cry poor mouth as an excuse for not investing more in a chronically neglected area of the budget - say, mental-health care or raises for public employees - here’s a number to remember: $253 million.

From Washington Times

If American readers know any of them, it is almost certainly Flann O’Brien’s hilarious “The Poor Mouth,” the “bad story about the hard life” of Bonaparte O’Coonassa, born into poverty among the sheep and pigs and potatoes.

From Washington Post

Instead of making tough choices, NIH Director Collins has chosen to cry poor mouth.

From Forbes

Very hot drinks, high-temperature cooking methods and poor mouth hygiene have also been linked to the disease, it said.

From BBC

A lavatory sponge plunged into vinegar and gall and thrust into His poor mouth, a mouth that moves rarely except to pray, to pray even for you, boys, even for you who nailed Him to that cross.

From Literature

Related Words

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