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Work & Money - Poverty & Financial Issues

Explore English idioms that relate to poverty and financial issues, including "feel the pinch" and "the breadline".

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English idioms related to Work & Money
to [catch] (a|) cold

to face problems and difficulties, particularly financial ones

Ex: When the housing market crashed, many investors caught a cold. 
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to [go] to the wall

to suffer ruin, failure, or defeat, due to financial difficulties, and without the possibility of recovery or rescue

Ex: Many small businesses went to the wall during the recession. 
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to [lose] {one's} shirt

to lose a big sum of money, often due to a risky bet or investment

Ex: He lost his shirt betting on horse races. 
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(in|into) the red
in the red
[phrase]

in debt due to spending more than one's earnings

Ex: After months of overspending, the company slipped into the red. 
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on {one's} uppers

in an extremely bad financial condition

Ex: After losing his job, he was on his uppers for months. 
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to [live] (from|) hand to mouth

to survive with only the bare minimum resources, often with no savings or financial security

Ex: After losing his job, he had to live hand to mouth for months. 
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(as|) poor as a church [mouse]

severely lacking money

Ex: When he first moved to the city, he was as poor as a church mouse. 
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(as|) poor as Job

extremely lacking money

Ex: He was poor as Job when he arrived in the city. 
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to {not} [have] a bean

to not have any money

Ex: By the end of the trip, I did not have a bean left. 
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on the road
on the road
[phrase]

(of people) without any home or shelter, therefore constantly moving from one location to another

Ex: After the fire destroyed their house, the family was on the road for weeks. 
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the breadline

an informal threshold of income that marks the level at which a person or household is regarded as very poor or barely able to afford basic necessities

Ex: Many families are living below the breadline. 
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out at (the|) elbows

used to refer to someone who does not have enough money and is considered poor by the society's standards

Ex: After years of bad luck, he looked out at the elbows. 
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to [feel] the pinch

to face financial difficulties, particularly due to not having the same income as before

Ex: After her hours were cut, she really began to feel the pinch. 
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{num} out of pocket

used to say that an amount of money was lost due to a transaction

Ex: After selling the car, he was $500 out of pocket. 
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dry spell
dry spell
[noun]

a period that is lacking productivity, profit, success, etc.

Ex: The company went through a dry spell before sales finally picked up. 
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dirt poor
dirt poor
[phrase]

affected by poverty to an extreme degree

Ex: He grew up dirt poor in a tiny village. 
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to [wipe] the slate clean

to forgive and forget someone's debt, enabling them to start fresh without any financial obligations

Ex: The bank agreed to wipe the slate clean and cancel the remaining debt. 
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to [go] out of business

to cease to exist as a functional company or business due to financial challenges or difficulties

Ex: The bookstore went out of business after years of falling sales. 
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on a shoestring

with a minimal amount of financial resources

Ex: They started the business on a shoestring. 
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flat broke
flat broke
[phrase]

lacking any money or financial resources

Ex: After paying the rent, I was flat broke. 
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{not} a pot to piss in

very little or no money

Ex: He talks like a rich man, but he does not have a pot to piss in. 
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