ˌOld Mother ˈHubbard BrE AmE
a character in a ↑ nursery rhyme (=an old song or poem for young children): 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.