proverb · Words worth keeping
An empty purse fills the face with wrinkles.
An empty purse fills the face with wrinkles.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Financial worry can show in a person’s expression. The empty purse pictures a shortage of resources, and wrinkles give the strain a visible form.
What the words are saying
The saying moves from the absence of money to the face of the person affected. That shift makes an otherwise hidden concern visible: a person may look worn or troubled because they are thinking about unmet needs. The image can invite recognition of a burden instead of treating an expression as a permanent trait. Its language is figurative rather than a biological account of ageing. It should not turn someone’s appearance into evidence of their finances or assume all people with little money feel alike.
Everyday example
A friend notices someone’s worried expression and listens as they describe a difficult household expense.
When to use it
Use it to acknowledge the visible strain of money worries.
What it does not mean
Appearance does not reliably reveal income, and the saying is not a claim about skin or ageing.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 483 · Empty purse
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English