brɪŋ hoʊm ðə ˈbeɪkən
Money & Finance
informal
intermediate
- Literally:
- To carry bacon to one's home
What does "bring home the bacon" mean?
- To earn money to support a family
- To achieve success or bring home winnings
Examples
- She's the one who brings home the bacon in their family.
- After years of struggle, he finally started bringing home the bacon.
- Both partners bring home the bacon in many modern households.
Origin
Multiple origin theories exist. One links it to a 12th-century tradition where a side of bacon was awarded to married couples who hadn't argued for a year. Another connects it to county fair pig-catching contests where winners took home the pig.
How to use it
Traditional expression for the family's main earner. Still common but increasingly applied to any successful earning or achievement.
Similar expressions
earn a living
be the breadwinner
support the family
Opposites
depend on others
be unemployed
Related idioms
- pay an arm and a leg
To pay an extremely high price
- make ends meet
To earn just enough money to cover basic expenses
- cost an arm and a leg
To be very expensive
- money doesn't grow on trees
Money is not easily acquired; it must be earned
- break the bank
To cost too much money
- hit the jackpot
To achieve great success or win something valuable
Use it in a practice answer
Try "bring home the bacon" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.