Answer:
In this description of the clerk , the word threadbare tells the audience that this character is poor. The reason for his situation is that he did not get any job from the Catholic Church.
Explanation:
In the general prologue of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales", the narrator is giving a general introduction of the travelers along with their vocations before they proceed with their own tales. The following excerpt
"But he looked hollow and went soberly.
Right threadbare was his overcoat; for he
Had got him yet no churchly benefice…" is a description of the clerk, who according to the narrator, is from Oxford. But he hasn't got the education that will enable him to get a proper office job nor does he have any job or income from the church. So, he is poor and his coat is the example of his condition "threadbare".
