not have a penny to bless yourself with

not have a penny to bless (oneself) with

old-fashioned To be extremely poor; to have very little or no money to spend. When I stepped off the boat, I didn't have a penny to bless myself with, but I knew the future was bright. They used to be so well off, but the economy crashed and their business closed, and they don't have a penny to bless themselves with anymore.

See also: bless, have, not, penny, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

not have a penny to bless yourself with

be completely impoverished. dated

This expression refers either to the cross on the silver pennies which circulated in England before the reign of Charles II or to the practice of crossing a person's palm with silver for luck.

See also: bless, have, not, penny, to

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