broker than the Ten Commandments
English edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective edit
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...