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Phrase(s): poor but clean
Cliché having little money but clean and of good habits, nonetheless. (Either extremely condescending or jocular. Some people would consider it offensive.) • My salary isn’t very high, and I only have one old car. Anyway, I’m poor but clean. • When Fred uttered the phrase "poor but clean" in reference to some of the people working in the yard, Ellen went into a rage.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs