linux-user: doesn't handle guest setting its memory ulimit very small

using the latest build from git (hash 041ccc922ee474693a2869d4e3b59e920c739bc0 ) and all older versions i have tested.
i am using an amd64 host with an arm chroot using "qemu-user arm cortex-a8" cpu emulation to run it

building coreutils hangs on "checking whether printf survives out-of-memory conditions"

i have not had time to dig into the build system to isolate the test yet, there were old reports of this bug but i can no longer find them on google.