"rags to riches"

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 http://www.languagesystems.com