a character in a NURSERY RHYME (= an old song or poem for young children) . The rhyme goes: Old Mother Hubbard/Went to the cupboard/To get her poor dog a bone;/But when she came there/The cupboard was bare,/And so the poor dog had none. The expression 'the cupboard is bare' is sometimes used about a situation in which a person, organization, or government has no money left.