poor man's

poor man's

1. Cheaper than, simpler than, or inferior to.
   • 1996, False Patriots: The Threat of Antigovernment Extremists:

     Saxon is author of the popular terrorist manual The Poor Man's James Bond, a handbook containing recipes for bombs, napalm and tear gas.

   • 1999, Charles Leadbeater and Ian Christie, To Our Mutual Advantage:

     People do not want 'second best' self-help schemes, which are regarded as a poor man's version of the market.

   • 2001, Graham Nelson, The Inform Designer's Manual:

     Much as the creators of Usenet called it “the poor man's ARPANET,” bulletin boards were a poor man's FTP.

   • 2013, Jude Morgan, National Past Time: Kingpin Alley, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 6:

     Bowling is something everybody can do. It's a poor man's golf.

• Often used to describe a free or cheap alternative to a commodity.