the poor man's

poor man's

A less desirable substitute for the genuine item. The local artist became known as the poor man's Picasso. I was happy with my new car, even though my friends called it a poor man's Jaguar.
See also: poor
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the poor man's something

If you describe something as the poor man's something, you mean that it is similar to the second thing, but less expensive to buy or of lower quality. To some people, chicken livers are the poor man's foie gras. Note: People sometimes say that a person is the poor man's someone, meaning that they do something similar to that person, but not as well. Throughout his career Jason Bateman has been the poor man's Michael J. Fox.
See also: poor, something
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the poor man's —

an inferior or cheaper substitute for the thing specified.
1991 Canberra Times Just as alarming is the prospect of FAEs, Fuel-Air Explosives… known as the poor man's atom bomb.
See also: poor
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • poor man's
  • the poor man's something
  • a poor relation
  • be the best of a bad bunch
  • be the best of a bad lot
  • kick upstairs, to
  • things will work out
  • the best of a bad bunch/lot
  • best of a bad bunch
  • best of a bad lot
References in periodicals archive
New Delhi: Bedroll kits could soon be included in the ticket price of the poor man's no frills AC train, the Garib Rath Express, but it could cost significantly more with the railways considering a hike from the Rs25 fixed over a decade ago, senior officials said.
Tickets for India's budget Garib Rath trains set for hike
It's the poor man's Ryder Cup, even though, in golf, there are no poor men.
DREAD PRESIDENTS; with sports betting's top tipster DEREK MCGOVERN E-MAIL: betsguru@aol.com
And a growing community of Seiko modders has made it much more than the poor man's Rolex.
WATCH INSIDER SEIKO MODEL 5 PROBABLY THE BEST WATCH YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
Most of the Poor Man's Plots I built were previously openings and had overgrown.
The poor man's plot: find bowhunting riches with a project for the common man
For the Finns, the sauna was the poor man's medicine.
A sauna a day keeps the doctor away
Gone but never forgotten x tabz Why didn't the emergency services attempt to put safety mats down to try and catch the poor man's fall?
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