poor as a church mouse

English

Adjective

(as) poor as a church mouse

1. (simile) Very poor to a point of starving or begging.
   • 2009, September 23, Mark Gould, Former heroin addict inspires growing optimism from the wild side, The Guardian,

     I'm poor as a church mouse, but I wake up a happy man.

   • 1932, April 9, Isidor Schneider, Hard Luck Of Poets, The New York Times,

     "As poor as a poet" would be quite as comprehensible as "as poor as a church mouse."

   • 2008, John Beatty, The Citizen-Soldier, page 17

     She was an Eastern Virginia woman, and, although poor as a church mouse, thought herself superior to West Virginia people.

Translations

very poor

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一貧如洗 (cmn), 一贫如洗 (cmn) (yīpínrúxǐ)

• Czech: chudý jako kostelní myš (cs)
• Danish: fattig som en kirkerotte (da)
• Dutch: geen nagel hebben om zijn gat mee af te krabben (nl) (vulgar)
• Finnish: köyhä kuin kirkon rotta (fi); rutiköyhä (fi)
• French: pauvre comme Job (fr) m and f
• German: arm wie eine Kirchenmaus (de)
• Hungarian: szegény, mint a templom egere (hu)

• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 教会のネズミのように貧しい (ja) (kyōkai-no nezumi-no yōni mazushii) (literal translation), 非常に貧しい (ja) (hijō-ni mazushii)
• Portuguese: paupérrimo (pt)
• Russian: бедный как церковная мышь (ru) (bédnyj kak cerkóvnaja myš’)
• Spanish: más pobre que una rata (es)
• Swedish: fattig som en kyrkråtta (sv), fattig som en råtta (sv), fattig som en lus (sv)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can