Meanings
- idiomaticnot comparablesimileVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
"As poor as a poet" would be quite as comprehensible as "as poor as a church mouse."
1932 April 9, Isidor Schneider, “Hard Luck Of Poets”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Feb 20263 more examples
But to return to our public functions; that we have had a decided turn for the church appears from the fact that the church-mouse is a recognised order amongst us, and it is our just pride that we alone have preserved the genuine character of the institution as founded by the Apostles, inasmuch as our poverty has passed into a proverb— "as poor as a church-mouse."
1844, a Mouse (sic), Le Peuple Souriquois: An Historical Sketch, in The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist, vol. 71, pt. 2, page 428She was an Eastern Virginia woman, and, although poor as a church mouse, thought herself superior to West Virginia people.
1879, John Beatty, The Citizen-Soldier, Cincinnati: Wilstach, Baldwin & Co., page 17Pulford is currently building a raised bed for an allotment, and another school garden is due to open soon. "I'm poor as a church mouse, but I wake up a happy man," he says.
2009 September 23, Mark Gould, quoting Paul Pulford, “Former heroin addict inspires growing optimism from the wild side”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 31 Dec 2023Synonyms: poor as a rat, poor as Job, almsless, arm, badly off, bankrupt, beggared, beggarly
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
Origin
Alteration 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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 一貧如洗 /一贫如洗
- 一貧如洗 /一贫如洗 (yīpínrúxǐ)very poor
Czech chudý jako kostelní myš
- chudý jako kostelní myšvery poor
Danish fattig som en kirkerotte
- fattig som en kirkerottevery poor
Dutch geen nagel hebben om zijn gat mee af te krabben, arm als Job
- geen nagel hebben om zijn gat mee af te krabbenvery poor
- arm als Jobvery poor
- arm als een kerkratvery poor
Finnish köyhä kuin kirkonrotta, rutiköyhä
- köyhä kuin kirkonrottavery poor
- rutiköyhävery poor
French gueux comme un rat d'église, pauvre comme Job
- gueux comme un rat d'églisevery poor
- pauvre comme Jobvery poor
German arm wie eine Kirchenmaus
- arm wie eine Kirchenmausvery poor
Greek πάμφτωχος, ζάφτωχος
- πάμφτωχος (pámftochos)very poor
- ζάφτωχος (záftochos)very poor
- δεν έχει μία (den échei mía)very poor
Hungarian szegény, mint a templom egere
- szegény, mint a templom egerevery poor
Italian povero in canna
- povero in cannavery poor
Japanese 教会のネズミのように貧しい, 非常に貧しい
- 教会のネズミのように貧しい (kyōkai-no nezumi-no yōni mazushii)very poor
- 非常に貧しい (hijō-ni mazushii)very poor
Norwegian Bokmål blakk som en kirkerotte
- blakk som en kirkerottevery poor
Polish ubogi jak mysz kościelna, biedny jak mysz kościelna
- ubogi jak mysz kościelnavery poor
- biedny jak mysz kościelnavery poor
Portuguese paupérrimo
- paupérrimovery poor
Russian бе́дный как церко́вная мышь
- бе́дный как церко́вная мышь (bédnyj kak cerkóvnaja myšʹ)very poor
Spanish más pobre que una rata
- más pobre que una ratavery poor
Swedish fattig som en kyrkråtta, fattig som en råtta
- fattig som en kyrkråttavery poor
- fattig som en råttavery poor
- fattig som en lusvery poor
Vietnamese nghèo rớt mồng tơi
- nghèo rớt mồng tơivery poor
Cite this entry
poor as a church mouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20a%20church%20mouse
“poor as a church mouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20a%20church%20mouse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “poor as a church mouse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/poor%20as%20a%20church%20mouse.
Source: poor as a church mouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.