The story
Blend of broke + catfishing. Coined by Refinery 29 journalist Pema Bakshi in 2022. The economic environment is provided by the Wikipedia articles 2021–2023 inflation surge and cost-of-living crisis.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
brokefishing
Today it means: The practice of playing financially disadvantaged with the goal of having another party in an interpersonal relationship spend more money or provide a financial safety net or in order to attract immaterial benefits such as sympathy. Full definition →