dirt-poor


Also found in: Idioms.

dirt-poor

(dûrt′po͝or′)
adj.
Extremely poor; impoverished.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dirt-poor

adj
chiefly US extremely poor
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
References in periodicals archive ?
The film shows the relationship between the veteran manager and Presley, who came from dirt-poor origins and became an iconic star.
When Earth's richest men, burn astronomical amounts of fossil fuel in order to 'fuel' the building/decorating of 'ivory tower' skyscrapers, to house themselves like gods, can it be right for dirt-poor natives to be shot for shooting elephants?
Kohistan is a dirt-poor mountainous district where local customs still reign supreme and honour cases are often decided by local jirgas.
There are dirt-poor families that cannot afford the barebones requirements of giving a child formal education even when tuition is free.
With poverty, we have 'dirt-poor',' eg 'rough-sleepers': they can only afford a bath, and a change of underwear at Christmas.
Doesn't the human race (a tiny cog in the cycle of life) have filthy-rich people at the head of it, and dirt-poor people bringing up the rear, if not tailing-off the back, i.e.
Election candidate from dirt-poor Muzaffargarh owns Rs403 billion worth of assets
Millions of our farmers are dirt-poor because they suffer from the double whammy of usurious lending costs (of capital and farm inputs), and the syndicated lowering of crop prices during harvest time.
It is why you have economic growth in a country with millions of dirt-poor people.
What is even worse now is the addition to Europe of all the "down and out", dirt-poor countries that previously were satellite states of the old Soviet empire.
The story rolls right along, focusing on dirt-poor Johnny (and his pet chicken, named Pestilence and Famine), who, after a series of misfortunes, shows kindness to an old beggar woman.