Example 1:
Every one knows who Oprah Winfrey is, but many people don’t know much about her life before she was famous.
Oprah’s life is a true example of a “rags to riches” story. She grew up poor and disadvantaged in Mississippi and is now one of the richest and most powerful women in the world! Wow!
Example 2:
Seth: Let’s see a movie this weekend.
Mary: OK, which one do you have in mind?
Seth: I don’t remember the name, but it’s a rags to riches story set in India. The main character is a poor guy who wins a game show and becomes rich.
Mary: Oh! you’re talking about Slumdog Millionaire!
Meaning:
rags to riches can be used to describe a story where a very poor person becomes rich.
This idiom is from LSI’s book “Reading Horizons,” which is used in the level 6 Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit https://www.languagesystems.com
