subsistence

(See also POVERTY.)

boil the pot To make a bare subsistence living. This self-evident expression appeared in William Combe’s The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (1812):

See also potboiler, LETTERS.

keep body and soul together To survive economically; to make enough money to take care of basic needs and thus stay alive, death being viewed as the separation of soul and body. This picturesque expression dates from the mid-18th century.

keep one’s head above water To barely manage to keep out of debt; to remain financially solvent, however slightly. The allusion is to a swimmer too tired to go on who treads water to keep from going under altogether. The expression has been in figurative use since the early 18th century.

keep the wolf from the door To ward off starvation; to prevent want and necessity from becoming all-consuming; to struggle to provide the basic necessities. The rapacious wolf has long been a symbol of a devouring force, such as poverty, which deprives an individual of the basic necessities. Recorded use of this expression dates from the middle of the 15th century.

make both ends meet To live within one’s means, to pay one’s expenses, to stay in the black financially. A longer version of the phrase is to make the two ends of the year meet, i.e., to live within one’s means from January to December. The expressions carry the connotation of struggle and mere subsistence living. The French equivalent expressions are joindre les deux bouts and joindre les deux bouts de l’an. Use of the phrase dates from the latter half of the 17th century.

make buckle and tongue meet To make both ends meet; to earn enough money or produce enough food to survive; to get by, to manage. This puzzling colloquial Americanism was in print by the mid-19th century. The image is confusing. It may derive from either belts or shoes, but neither possibility casts much light on its relevance to financial survival.

An even earlier British equivalent is hold or bring buckle and thong together.

tighten one’s belt To implement austere measures during a time of financial uncertainty; to endure hunger with fortitude. This expression alludes to the weight loss and subsequent reduction in waist size of an underfed person. The phrase enjoys common use in the United States and Great Britain.