He has no money and is poor as a church mouse.
poor as a church mouse
idiomVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
Origin
disputed originAlteration 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.
After the business failed, the family found themselves poor as a church mouse and had to move in with relatives.
Despite his noble lineage and grand family name, the young man lived in a tiny attic, as poor as a church mouse.
- 01
bit by a barn mouse
tipsy; slightly drunk
- 02
darken a church door
To go to church to attend a service.
- 03
dust mouse
A dust bunny.
- 04
have a poor time of it
Synonym of have a rough time of it (especially financially)
- 05
house poor
In financial difficulty because of the excessive cost of owning a house, or because the cost of home ownership forms too high a proportion of household income.
- 06
land poor
In a condition of poverty as a result of inability to meet tax payments or other financial requirements for one's land holdings.
- 07
on the floor
[Cockney slang]poor
- 08
poor as a rat
Synonym of poor as a church mouse.