poor mouth

Verb

poormouth (third-person singular simple present poormouths, present participle poormouthing, simple past and past participle poormouthed)

1. (ambitransitive, informal) To claim to be poor.
   • On the other hand one does not want to arrive “poor-mouthing it” in some outrageous turtleneck and West Eighth Street bell-jean combination, as if one is “funky” and of “the people.”1970 June 8, Tom Wolfe, “Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's”, in New York Magazine

   Synonyms:

   cry poormouth

2. (rare, transitive) To badmouth (someone or something).
   • […] of course, such spirited defense of their ships is, up to a point, praiseworthy. And certainly any skipper who poormouths his own ship should be fired. On the other hand, the mature naval officer, if he is to make the most effective contributions possible to his Navy over the years, both at sea...1973, Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, volume 99, United States Naval Institute, page 96

See all 3 meanings of poormouth