bring home the bacon
Idioms-
Earn a living, provide the necessities of life, as in Now that she had a job, Patricia could bring home the bacon .
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Be successful, accomplish something of value, as in George went to Washington and brought home the bacon—he got the funding we needed . Although the earliest citation for this phrase in the Oxford English Dictionary dates from 1924, the term is widely believed to come from the much older game of catching a greased pig, a popular competition at country fairs in which the winner was awarded the pig.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He's going to bring home the bacon," he said from the Oval Office, "even though bacon isn't too big in Israel. I had to clear that up."
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
So too, a wife may be more attracted by a potential spouse who shares her interests, rather than one offering only to bring home the bacon.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2021
“She’s been my biggest encouragement. She could have easily said ‘No, you stay at the factory, and you just bring home the bacon, buddy.’
From Washington Times ● Jan. 12, 2020
Who says England couldn’t bring home the bacon in the World Cup?
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2018
Elmer's got the dandy idea, all right," said George; "you leave him alone, and he'll sure bring home the bacon.
From The Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts: Under Canvas or, The Hunt for the Cartaret Ghost by Alan Douglas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
