didn't have two nickels to rub together
Broke flat. Barely a coin to your name.
Also called ain't got two nickels to rub together, don't have two nickels to rub together.
Updated September 21, 2026
didn't have two nickels to rub together pronunciation
/DID-unt hav too NIK-ulz tuh RUB tuh-geth-er/
Meaning
If you didn't have two nickels to rub together, you were dirt poor. Not "saving for a vacation" poor. Empty-pockets poor. Southern and Appalachian storytelling loves this line for Depression tales, lean months after a layoff, or how Mama and Daddy got started. Present tense works too: ain't got two nickels to rub together. The picture is two coins clicking, and you do not even have that.
How folks use it
- “When they got married, they didn't have two nickels to rub together.”
- “I'd buy you supper, but I ain't got two nickels to rub together till Friday.”
Origin and etymology
American spin on older British talk about not having two pennies to rub together. U.S. versions swap in nickels, dimes, and other small coins. Exact start is unclear; the image stuck in 20th-century hard-times talk and remains common in Southern storytelling.
Frequently asked questions
Does it mean literally zero money?
Usually it means next to nothing. Folks stretch it for emphasis when times are tight.