See poor as a church mouse in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "Alteration of earlier hungry as a church mouse, from the fact that Catholic and Orthodox priests are called to scrupulously prevent any crumb of the sacrament of Eucharist (the bread which is understood to be Christ's body) from falling on the altar or to the ground, meaning that church mice had no crumbs to feed on. This phrase seems to be a corruption of the even earlier expression “as quiet as a church mouse” from the 1300s.",
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{
"ref": "1844, a Mouse (sic), Le Peuple Souriquois: An Historical Sketch, in The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist, vol. 71, pt. 2, page 428",
"text": "But to return to our public functions; that we have had a decided turn for the church appears from the fact that the church-mouse is a recognised order amongst us, and it is our just pride that we alone have preserved the genuine character of the institution as founded by the Apostles, inasmuch as our poverty has passed into a proverb— \"as poor as a church-mouse.\""
},
{
"ref": "1879, John Beatty, The Citizen-Soldier, Cincinnati: Wilstach, Baldwin & Co., page 17:",
"text": "She was an Eastern Virginia woman, and, although poor as a church mouse, thought herself superior to West Virginia people.",
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"ref": "1932 April 9, Isidor Schneider, “Hard Luck Of Poets”, in The New York Times:",
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"ref": "2009 September 23, Mark Gould, quoting Paul Pulford, “Former heroin addict inspires growing optimism from the wild side”, in The Guardian:",
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"(simile) Very poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute."
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"synonyms": [
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"word": "poor as a rat"
},
{
"word": "poor as Job"
},
{
"word": "impoverished"
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],
"translations": [
{
"code": "br",
"lang": "Breton",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "paour evel ur razh-iliz"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "一貧如洗"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "yīpínrúxǐ",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "一贫如洗"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"note": "chudý jako kostelní myš (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"note": "fattig som en kirkerotte (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
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"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "geen nagel hebben om zijn gat mee af te krabben"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "zo arm als Job"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "zo arm als een kerkrat"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "köyhä kuin kirkonrotta (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "rutiköyhä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "gueux comme un rat d’église"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "pauvre comme Job"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"note": "arm wie eine Kirchenmaus (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "pámftochos",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"masculine"
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"word": "πάμφτωχος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "záftochos",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"masculine"
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"word": "ζάφτωχος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "den échei mía",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "δεν έχει μία"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "szegény, mint a templom egere"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "povero in canna"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"note": "教会のネズミのように貧しい (kyōkai-no nezumi-no yōni mazushii) (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "hijō-ni mazushii",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "非常に貧しい"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "blakk som en kirkerotte"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "ubogi jak mysz kościelna"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"note": "biedny jak mysz kościelna (literal translations)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "paupérrimo"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"note": "бе́дный как церко́вная мышь (bédnyj kak cerkóvnaja myšʹ) (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "stq",
"lang": "Saterland Frisian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "äärm as n Säärkenmúus"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "más pobre que una rata"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"note": "fattig som en kyrkråtta (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "fattig som en råtta"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "fattig som en lus"
},
{
"code": "wa",
"lang": "Walloon",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "pôve come on rat d' eglijhe"
}
]
}
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"word": "poor as a church mouse"
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"etymology_text": "Alteration of earlier hungry as a church mouse, from the fact that Catholic and Orthodox priests are called to scrupulously prevent any crumb of the sacrament of Eucharist (the bread which is understood to be Christ's body) from falling on the altar or to the ground, meaning that church mice had no crumbs to feed on. This phrase seems to be a corruption of the even earlier expression “as quiet as a church mouse” from the 1300s.",
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"ref": "1844, a Mouse (sic), Le Peuple Souriquois: An Historical Sketch, in The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist, vol. 71, pt. 2, page 428",
"text": "But to return to our public functions; that we have had a decided turn for the church appears from the fact that the church-mouse is a recognised order amongst us, and it is our just pride that we alone have preserved the genuine character of the institution as founded by the Apostles, inasmuch as our poverty has passed into a proverb— \"as poor as a church-mouse.\""
},
{
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"text": "She was an Eastern Virginia woman, and, although poor as a church mouse, thought herself superior to West Virginia people.",
"type": "quote"
},
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"ref": "2009 September 23, Mark Gould, quoting Paul Pulford, “Former heroin addict inspires growing optimism from the wild side”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "Pulford is currently building a raised bed for an allotment, and another school garden is due to open soon. \"I'm poor as a church mouse, but I wake up a happy man,\" he says.",
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"translations": [
{
"code": "br",
"lang": "Breton",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "paour evel ur razh-iliz"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "一貧如洗"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "yīpínrúxǐ",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "一贫如洗"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"note": "chudý jako kostelní myš (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"note": "fattig som en kirkerotte (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "geen nagel hebben om zijn gat mee af te krabben"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "zo arm als Job"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "zo arm als een kerkrat"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "köyhä kuin kirkonrotta (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "rutiköyhä"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "gueux comme un rat d’église"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "pauvre comme Job"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"note": "arm wie eine Kirchenmaus (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "pámftochos",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "πάμφτωχος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "záftochos",
"sense": "very poor",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "ζάφτωχος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "den échei mía",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "δεν έχει μία"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "szegény, mint a templom egere"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "povero in canna"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"note": "教会のネズミのように貧しい (kyōkai-no nezumi-no yōni mazushii) (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "hijō-ni mazushii",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "非常に貧しい"
},
{
"code": "nb",
"lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "blakk som en kirkerotte"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "ubogi jak mysz kościelna"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"note": "biedny jak mysz kościelna (literal translations)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "paupérrimo"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"note": "бе́дный как церко́вная мышь (bédnyj kak cerkóvnaja myšʹ) (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "stq",
"lang": "Saterland Frisian",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "äärm as n Säärkenmúus"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "más pobre que una rata"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"note": "fattig som en kyrkråtta (literal translation)",
"sense": "very poor"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "fattig som en råtta"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "fattig som en lus"
},
{
"code": "wa",
"lang": "Walloon",
"sense": "very poor",
"word": "pôve come on rat d' eglijhe"
}
],
"word": "poor as a church mouse"
}
Download raw JSONL data for poor as a church mouse meaning in English (7.0kB)
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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