poor man's pulse
- noun
- Indian
:
pulsos de pobre
- Farmers often grow poor man's pulse because it thrives in poor, dry soils where other crops fail.
Examples
-
The drought-tolerant poor man's pulse is an important staple in rural Indian diets.
-
In many recipes, poor man's pulse is used as a substitute for more expensive lentils.
-
Farmers in India often cultivate poor man's pulse for its nutritional value.
-
Did you know that poor man's pulse is drought-resistant?
-
Farmers often grow poor man's pulse because it thrives in poor, dry soils where other crops fail.
-
The drought-tolerant poor man's pulse is an important staple in rural Indian diets.
-
In many recipes, poor man's pulse is used as a substitute for more expensive lentils.
Synonyms
A bean plant from India that grows in dry places and gives edible seeds and improves soil
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase follows the productive pattern 'poor man's + N' which signals an inexpensive or lesser substitute, so a B1 learner who knows 'poor', 'man', and 'pulse' would likely infer it denotes a kind of pulse associated with poorer people or a cheap variety. However, the exact botanical identity (a specific twining herb, Vigna aconitifolia) and the conventionalized name are not fully predictable from the parts, so the meaning is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Poor man's pulse may come from farmers calling this small pulse the 'food of poor people' because it grows in poor, dry soil and still feeds families when other crops fail.
