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Phrase(s): *in the poorhouse
1. Lit. in a (historical) communal dwelling for impoverished persons. (*Typically: live ~; end up ~.) • He couldn’t pay his debts and had to live in the poorhouse. 2. Fig. in a state of poverty. (*Typically: live ~; end up ~.) • If I lose my job, we’ll end up in the poorhouse.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs