bring home the bacon
Meaning: to provide income; to succeed in earning money.
Language: English
Literally: to bring home the bacon
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: The phrase's first clear attestation is precise, American, and much more recent than the traditions usually cited for it: in 1906, before a celebrated lightweight title fight, the mother of the boxer Joe Gans sent him a message telling him to bring home the bacon, and his subsequent victory put the words into newspapers across the country. Two older stories are commonly attached. One is the Dunmow Flitch, an English tradition recorded from the medieval period at Great Dunmow in Essex, awarding a side of bacon to any married couple who could swear they had not regretted their marriage for a year and a day. The other is the greased-pig contest at country fairs, where the prize was the pig. Both are real, neither is documented as the source, and the 1906 telegram remains the point at which the phrase demonstrably enters English.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- a storm in a teacup — excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot.
- cry over spilled milk — to regret something past; useless to grieve over unchangeable events.
- hard pill to swallow — difficult to accept; unpleasant truth or reality.
- Hair of the dog — A morning drink taken to cure a hangover.
- Das ist mir Wurst — I couldn't care less either way.
- Jetzt geht's um die Wurst — Now it's crunch time — everything is at stake.
More English idioms
- like a fish out of water — uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element.
- come hell or high water — no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
- run rings around someone — to easily surpass someone; to be far superior in ability.
- bury the hatchet — to make peace; to settle a dispute.
- get the ball rolling — to start something; to initiate a process.
- as tough as old boots — very strong; enduring; difficult to break.