have-not

[hav-not, -not] /ˈhævˌnɒt, -ˈnɒt/
noun
1.
Usually, have-nots. an individual or group that is without wealth, social position, or other material benefits (contrasted with have).
Origin
1830-40
British Dictionary definitions for have-not

have-not

noun
1.
(usually pl) a person or group of people in possession of relatively little material wealth
Word Origin and History for have-not
n.

"poor person," 1742, from have + not. Have in the sense of "one who 'has,' one of the wealthier class of persons" is from the same source. Earliest in translation of "Don Quixote:

'A fig for Basilius's abilities! for, you are worth just as much as you have, and you have just as much as you are worth. There are but two families in the world, as my grandmother used to say; "the Have's and the Have-not's," and she stuck to the former; and now-a-days, master Don Quixote, people are more inclined to feel the pulse of Have than of Know.' ["Don Quixote de la Mancha," transl. Charles Jarvis, London, 1742]

Slang definitions & phrases for have-not

have-not

modifier

: the have-not nations of the Third World

noun

A poor person, region, etc (1919+)