"Poor as sawmill rats" nghĩa là gì?

"Poor as sawmill rats" = nghèo như chuột ở nhà máy cưa -> nghĩa là nghèo rớt mồng tơi, bần cùng.

Ví dụ

They've probably been as poor as sawmill rats all their lives. Whose fault is that? It's difficult to blame the kids.”.

Life was not easy and we were as poor as sawmill rats, but I still remember that period in Rome as one of the happiest times of my life.