out at elbow en · ADJ
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Of a coat, jumper, etc., worn through at the elbows; of clothes, shabby, in poor condition.
[T]he children [...] went about in shabby, out-at-elbow clothes, and much worn boots.
1894, Ethel Turner, Seven Little Australians, published 1912, page 18:
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(not-comparable) In needy circumstances.
There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars—so long, that he was quite out-at-elbows, and did not know where to go to find a living.
1890, Joseph Jacobs, “Jack Hannaford”, in English Fairy Tales, page 40:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| out-at-elbow | alternative | lexicographic | |
| out at elbows | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
nb fattigslig (shabby) · nb fillete (shabby) · nb loslitt (shabby)