phrase requests - Alternatives to the expression "poor man's "


I'm looking for a more politically correct substitute for the expression "poor man's", meaning an inferior improvised or makeshift substitute. Usage examples:



  • "Guncotton is the poor man's TNT"

  • "Poor man's oyster" (mussels, or coughed up phlegm)


My hesitance is mainly because it is not as gender neutral as perhaps it once was. The closest I can think of is "pauper's", but I don't know many examples of usage.



Answer



Gender neutrality is fine, I even like it. But sometimes it is carried so far, it's burdensome.


I am a member of mankind. That doesn't bother me on a gender level. It is no more charged for me than humankind. I may well not represent the majority here.


If you're going to talk about a poor man's oyster, I'd much rather you kept the word man in there.


If you use the pauper's (x), I'm certain it will be understood, even though it's not used right now.


But "Poor man's" is fine with me.



If Seth MacFarlane is the poor man's version of any celebrity... -Jezebel
Sorbet is the poor man's ice cream. -Jezebel
Lady Gaga is the poor man's Madonna. -Jezebel



(What does any of that even mean?) I'm not a reader (nor a fan) of Jezebel. But if a self-proclaimed feminist publication uses it so often, you should not fear to use it for gender reasons. Just please write better than Jezebel.


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