broker than the Ten Commandments

English

Etymology

A pun on broke's senses of 'without money' and 'broken', with potential reference both to Moses's destruction ('breaking') of the tablets on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:19) and sinners' violation ('breaking') of the Ten Commandments in daily life.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Adjective

broker than the Ten Commandments (comparative form only)

(simile, humorous, dated) Extremely impoverished.
- 2018, Tara Westover, Educated:
  I needed money—Dad would have said I was broker than the Ten Commandments—so I went to get my old job back...

Synonyms

See Thesaurus:impoverished