fat of the land, the

Idioms  

1. The best or richest of anything, as in The tiny upper class lived off the fat of the land while many of the poor were starving. This expression alludes to fat in the sense of “the best or richest part.” The Bible has it as eat the fat of the land (Genesis 45:18).

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Example Sentences

When word that "General" Tom Harris, commander of the district—formerly telegraph-operator in Hannibal—was at a near-by farm-house, living on the fat of the land, the army broke camp without further ceremony.

From The Boys' Life of Mark Twain by Paine, Albert Bigelow