PENNILESS
ADJECTIVES
► AFTER EIGHT MINT skint, penniless → 1990s UK rhyming sl. (Bk.)
► AGAINST THE CURB without money → 1995 US sl.
► ALL IN penniless → 1900s
► AS FULL OF MONEY AS A TOAD IS OF FEATHERS penniless, poor, impoverished → 19C
► ASS OUT penniless, broke → 2006 US sl.(Bk.)
► AT LOW WATER short of funds → 1940s World War II US sl.
► BANG-UP penniless, impoverished → M19 US sl.
► BAREFOOTED to be without means, penniless → 1990 Amer. dial. (Bk.)
► BEACHED without funds → 1940s World War II US sl.
► BEAT penniless, broke → 1950s US sl.
► BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL penniless, broke → 2006 US sl. (Bk.)
► BEHIND THE SINK depleted of funds → 1974 US sl.
► BENT having very little money; nearly broke → 1975 (Bk.)
► BLASTED without funds; completely broke → 1975 (Bk.)
► BONED OUT without money → 1998 African-American sl.
► BORACIC (LINT) skint, penniless, having no money → 1959 rhyming sl.
► BRACKERS penniless, broke → 1980s UK sl.
► BRASSICK penniless, broke → 2007 UK sl. (Bk.)
► BROKE having no money → 1716 sl.
► BROKEN penniless, out of funds, impoverished, poor → M17 sl.
► BROKE TO THE WORLD penniless, ruined financially, bankrupt → 1918
► BURSTED cleaned out, broke → 1873 US colloq.
► BUSHED poor, without money → 1812 sl.
► BUST having no money → 1913 sl.
► BUSTED penniless, broke → 1836 US sl.
► BUSTED UP penniless, broke → 1862 US sl.
► BUST-OUT penniless, busted → 1976 sl.
► BUTTON B penniless → 1930s
► CLEAN AS A JAYBIRD penniless, without money → 1930s US sl.
► CLEANED OUT penniless, broke, with no money → 2006 US sl. (Bk.)
► CLEAR BROKE penniless, completely broke → 1926 US sl. (Bk.)
► CLIPPED out of funds → 1950s US sl.
► COAL AND COKE ► COALS AND COKE broke, penniless → 1937 rhyming sl.
► COLD IN HAND without cash, broke → 1942
► CRACKED penniless; ruined → 1860 obs.
► DEAD penniless → 1960s African-American sl.
► DEAD-ASS BROKE utterly broke → 1971 US sl.
► DEAD BROKE penniless, ruined, bankrupt; destitute → 1842 US colloq.
► DINGY without money → 1970 (Bk.)
► DOWN IN THE DIKE out of funds → 1900 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► DOWN ON ONE’S UPPERS having no money → 1895 sl.
► DOWN ON THE KNUCKLE ► DOWN ON THE KNUCKLEBONE virtually penniless → M19 sl.
► DOWN TO CASES down to one’s last pennies → 1940s US criminals’ sl.
► EMPTY penniless, broke → 1940s US sl.
► FAIR SKINT very short of money, or even entirely ‘broke’ → 20C
► FLAT having no money; flat broke → 1833 US sl.
► FLAT ON ONE’S ASS penniless, broke → 2006 US sl. (Bk.)
► FLY-BLOWN penniless → 1850s Aust. sl.
► GUTTED penniless, impoverished; temporarily without cash → 1820 sl.
► HARD UP having no money → 1821 sl.
► HARDPAN without money or means → 1928 Amer. dial.
► IN THE BARREL without money, broke → 1942
► LOG without money (Low on Green) → 1997 US sl.
► MELTED OUT without money, and hence, desperate → 1930s African-American sl.
► MOTHERLESS completely broke; motherless broke → 1916 Aust. sl.
► MOTHERLESS BROKE penniless, completely broke, bankrupt → 1898 Aust. sl.
► NARE-A-FACE-BUT-HIS-OWN not a penny in his pocket → 1696 sl.
► NOT A BRASS RAZOO nothing at all, esp. of money; absolutely penniless → 1930s Aust. & NZ sl.
► NOT A FEATHER TO FLY WITH penniless, ruined → 1860 sl.
► NOT A RAG ► NOT A RAG LEFT penniless → L16
► NOT A SIXPENCE TO SCRATCH ONE’S ARSE WITH penniless, absolutely impoverished → M19 sl.
► NOT A SOU not a penny, nothing at all → M18
► NOT A THIN DIME penniless, no money → 1918
► NOT HAVE A BEAN penniless, without funds → 1999 Aust. sl. (Bk.)
► NOT HAVE A CRACKER penniless → 1920 Aust. sl.
► NOT HAVE AN OAT penniless → L19 sl.
► NOT HAVE A SPRAT penniless → 1923
► NOT HAVE TWO BOB TO RUB TOGETHER without money → 1999 Aust. sl. (Bk.)
► ON ONE’S ASS penniless, broke; in acute financial hardship → 1917
► ON ONE’S EAR broke; bankrupt → 20C US sl.
► ON ONE’S FEET penniless, broke → 1967 Amer. dial.
► ON ONE’S UPPERS having no money → 1895 sl.
► ON THE BACK OF YOUR ARSE penniless → 1961 Aust. sl.
► ON THE NAIL broke, destitute → 1914 US sl.
► ON THE OUTER ► ON THE OUTERS unpopular, out of favour, penniless, or destitute → 1924 Aust. & NZ sl.
► ON THE RORY penniless, poor → M19 slk.
► ON THE TAP broke and borrowing money → 20C UK sl.
► ON YOUR BACK penniless → 1937 UK sl.
► PEBBLE-BEACHED utterly penniless; very poor, destitute → 1886 sl.
► POCKETS TO LET penniless → 1820 colloq.
► PUNGLED short of money, strapped for cash → 1881 Eng. dial.
► RAGGED without money → 1990 US sl.
► RAPLESS penniless → L19 sl.
► RICH AS A NEW-SHORN SHEEP penniless, ‘fleeced’ → 1510
► SKINNED ► SKINNED OUT having no money → 1935 sl.
► SKINT having no money → 1925 UK sl.
► SKINT AS A KIPPER’S BACKBONE having no money → 1956 UK sl.
► SKINTO penniless, having little or no money → 1988 Sc. sl.
► SPENT UP having no more money → 1996 UK sl.
► STONE-BROKE having no money → 1886 sl.
► STONEY ► STONY having no money → 1886 sl.
► STONY-BROKE having no money → 1886 sl.
► STRANDED penniless; friendless → 1897 colloq.
► STRAPPED short of money; penniless → 1857 US sl.
► STUCK-UP penniless → L19 sl.
► STUMPED UP penniless; broke → 1999 Aust. sl. (Bk.)
► TAPIOCA absolutely penniless → 1930s US sl.
► TAPPED OUT penniless; broke → 1940s
► UNFINANCIAL out of money, without money → 1919 Amer. dial.
► UP TO THE STUMP impoverished, out of money → M19 US sl.
► UPTIGHT having no money → 1967 sl.
► WIPED OUT having no money → 1977 sl.
► WITHOUT A MINTIE without funds → 1930s Aust. sl.
► WITHOUT A RAG penniless → L16
NOUNS
► HARDPAN a situation in which one is without money or means → 1870 Amer. dial.
► NOT A SAUSAGE no money; nothing at all → 1938 UK sl.
► NUPPENCE no money → 20C UK rhyming sl.
► SKINNER, A no money → 1943 NZ sl.
► SKINTITIS the condition of having no money → 20C UK jocular usage
► TIGHTS, THE a penniless or financially grim condition → 1970s
NOUNS – PERSON
► BARE POLES a man at the end of his resources → 1922 (Bk.)
► GENTLEMAN OF THREE OUTS person without money, manners, and wit; variation: one out of pocket, out of elbows, and out of credit → 1785 sl.
► LAME DUCK a person who is dead broke; one who is not able to pay his way or meet debts → 1875 US sl.
► NINCUM NOODLE a penniless fool → 1823 sl.
► SANS DENER a penniless person → 1469 obs.
► SCHLEPPER ► SHLEPPER a penniless person; a poor person regarded as a parasite → 1949 sl., chiefly US
► STOOMER ► STUMER ► STUMOR a penniless person → 1898 Aust. sl.
PHRASES
► CAPTAIN IS NOT AT HOME, THE I have no money → M18 sl.
► NEVER-A-FACE-BUT-HIS-OWN not a penny in his pocket → 1696 sl.
► NOT A FEATHER TO FLY WITH ruined, penniless → 1821 sl.
► NOT A PENNY TO BLESS ONESELF WITH no or extremely little money → 1540 colloq.
► NOT HAVE A BRASS RAZOO not have any money → 1999 (Bk.)
VERBS
► BE ON ONE’S BACK-SEAM to be penniless, out of luck → 1880s Eng. tailors’ sl.
► GO DOWN THE GURGLER to go broke, to go out of business, etc. → 1999 (Bk.)
► HAVE NE’ER A FACE BUT ONE’S OWN to be penniless → 1698
► LAND ON A PEBBLY BEACH to be very short of money; to be faced with ruin → 1885
► NOT HAVE AN OAT to be penniless → 1870 sl.
► NOT TO HAVE A CRACKER to be penniless → 1920 Aust. sl.
► SKATE to be penniless → 1996 Trinidad and Tobago
Lexicophilia 