poor as a church mouse meaning, poor as a church mouse definition | English Cobuild dictionary



  ( poorer    comparative)   ( poorest    superlative  )
1       adj   Someone who is poor has very little money and few possessions.,   (Antonym: rich)    The reason our schools cannot afford better teachers is because people here are poor..., He was one of thirteen children from a poor family.     
      The poor are people who are poor., n-plural   the N  
Even the poor have their pride.     
2       adj   The people in a poor country or area have very little money and few possessions.,   (Antonym: rich)    Many countries in the Third World are as poor as they have ever been., ...a settlement house for children in a poor neighborhood.     
3       adj   You use poor to express your sympathy for someone.  
ADJ n     (feelings)    I feel sorry for that poor child..., Poor chap<endash>he was killed in an air crash...     
4       adj   If you describe something as poor, you mean that it is of a low quality or standard or that it is in bad condition.  
The flat was in a poor state of repair..., The wine was poor.     
  poorly      adv   ADV -ed, ADV after v  
Some are living in poorly built dormitories, even in tents...     
5       adj   If you describe an amount, rate, or number as poor, you mean that it is less than expected or less than is considered reasonable.  
...poor wages and working conditions.     
  poorly      adv   ADV -ed, ADV after v   (=badly)  
During the first week, the evening meetings were poorly attended...     
6       adj   You use poor to describe someone who is not very skilful in a particular activity.  
usu ADJ n, also v-link ADJ at -ing/n  
He was a poor actor..., Hospitals are poor at collecting information.     
  poorly      adv   ADV after v  
That is the fact of Hungarian football<endash>they can play very well or very poorly.     
7       adj   If something is poor in a particular quality or substance, it contains very little of the quality or substance.  
v-link ADJ in n  
...soil that is poor in zinc.     

dirt-poor      , dirt poor  
A dirt-poor person or place is extremely poor.      adj  
If you describe something as piss-poor, you think it is of extremely poor quality.  
INFORMAL, RUDE      adj  
...a piss-poor comedy directed by John Landis.     
poor relation        ( poor relations    plural  ) If you describe one thing as a poor relationof another, you mean that it is similar to or part of the other thing, but is considered to be inferior to it.      n-count   usu N of n  
Watercolour still seems somehow to be the poor relation of oil painting.     
Translation English Cobuild Collins Dictionary  
Collaborative Dictionary     English Cobuild
officer of the Church of England
sweat excessively
syn.: "it ain't over till it's over"
something not worthy; something of poor quality; a crap
[Slang] This book is a bag of wank, I am disappointed.
bon critique, mauvais travailleur
chat timide fait souris effrontée
chat timide fait souris effrontée
chat miauleur n'attrape pas de souris
au pauvre, un oeuf vaut un boeuf
à pauvres, enfants sont richesses
ce qui est plus près du clocher, c'est l'église
au pauvre, même sa nuit de noce est courte
à pauvre gens la pâte gelée au four
assis sur les genoux d'une mère pauvre, tout enfant est riche
chez les riches, les choses se font selon ses ordres; chez le pauvre, selon ses forces
c'est le nid d'une souris dans l'oreille d'un chat
c'est la montagne qui accouche d'une souris
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