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poormouth

 - 3 dictionary results

poor-mouth

  [poor-mouth] verb, -mouthed  [-moutht, -mouthd] , -mouth⋅ing. Informal.
Use poormouth in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to lament or argue that one is too poor; plead poverty.
–verb (used with object)
2. 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.
3. bad-mouth.
Origin:
1965–70; Americanism; orig. in v. phrases put up a poor mouth, make a poor mouth
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To poormouth
poor·mouth   (pŏŏr'mouth', -mouth')   
v.   poor·mouthed, poor·mouth·ing, poor·mouths

v.   tr.
To speak ill of.
v.   intr.
To claim poverty as an excuse or a defense: always poormouths when asked to donate to charity.
n.  An exaggerated assertion of poverty.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
poor-mouth

  1. tv.
    to speak ill of someone. (See also bad-mouth.) : Please don't poor-mouth my brother.
  2. in.
    to speak repeatedly of how little money one has; to plead poverty. : Spend more time looking for a job and less time poor-mouthing.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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