hand-to-mouth

[hand-tuh-mouth]

adjective

1. offering or providing the barest livelihood, sustenance, or support; meager; precarious.

   a hand-to-mouth existence.

hand-to-mouth

adjective

1. with barely enough money or food to satisfy immediate needs

   a hand-to-mouth existence

Word History and Origins

Origin of hand-to-mouth¹

First recorded in 1500–10

Example Sentences

"People here are poor, they live hand-to-mouth, but they are known to be very kind and helpful. Now we are all facing the consequences of this senseless violence," he adds.

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She noted that “younger kids are at higher risk because they have more hand-to-mouth behavior.”

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Bombaa says they endure a “hand-to-mouth economy”, never sure where their next meal will come from.

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"Obviously one of the issues of a hand-to-mouth scheme... it's very difficult for councils to take long-term decisions about running the schemes," he says.

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Named zeug after the German word for “stuff,” the utensil is a mediator for the intimacy of the hand-to-mouth gesture.

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