To ward off poverty or hunger.
Etymology:
- The original saying may have been keep the wolf from the gate, which dates from at least 1470. By the 1500s the saying had become keep the wolf from the door, with the current meaning that it bears: see, for example, the 1645 quotation.
- There is a suggestion that the phrase may have originated from French or German phrases. Compare the French manger comme un loup, and the German Wolfsmagen means “a keen appetite”.
- 28 Views
“
They didn't earn much, but it was enough to keep the wolf from the door.
Submitted on September 01, 2009
Additional definitions for 'keep the wolf from the door':
| keep the wolf from the door | To delay sexual ejaculation. |
| Keep the Wolf from the Door | To avoid circumstances leading to poverty and starvation |
Translation
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Sbarcare il lunario
ஓநாய் கதவை இருந்து வைத்து
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to keep the wolf from the door
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"keep the wolf from the door." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/keep-the-wolf-from-the-door_4877>.
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