C2idiomnature
keep the wolf from the door
USUK
to earn just enough money to avoid hunger and debt
British and slightly literary. It describes survival, not comfort. 'The wolf is at the door' means poverty is near.
In context
He took two jobs just to keep the wolf from the door.
Her small stall barely kept the wolf from the door during the lockdown.
More idioms about nature
- a big fish in a small pondan important person, but only in a small group or place
- a bird's-eye viewa view of something from high above
- a breath of fresh airsomeone or something new and different that makes a situation more pleasant
- a dark horsea person with hidden talents, or a competitor nobody expected to do well
- a drop in the oceana very small amount compared with what is needed