{"id":9413,"date":"2022-09-22T15:43:46","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T15:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9413"},"modified":"2022-09-22T15:43:46","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T15:43:46","slug":"bring-home-the-bacon-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/bring-home-the-bacon-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring Home the Bacon \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did someone tell you they're going to 'bring home the bacon'<\/em><\/strong> with their commission check? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression 'bring home the bacon'<\/em> means you're bringing home a financial windfall for your family.<\/u> It could refer to earning a bonus at work, winning a pot at a casino, or running a profitable business.<\/u><\/p>\n

If you 'bring home the bacon,'<\/em> you're taking care of your family financially<\/u>, and they have everything they need. The phrase can also refer to achieving a goal or succeeding at a task.<\/u><\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"It feels good to bring home the bacon and provide for my family. After being unemployed for so long, I'm glad I can add value and support everyone.\"<\/p>\n

\"Get ready, honey, 'cause daddy's about to bring home the bacon. I just won a huge pot at the card table, and we're taking the kids to Disneyland this weekend.\"<\/p>\n

\"I'm glad I can bring home the bacon. You and the kids deserve a life where you don't have to want for anything in their lives.\"<\/p>\n

\"As the provider in the family, it's up to me to bring home the bacon. I don't want my kin to go without anything in their lives.\"<\/p>\n

\"I'm glad I could bring home the bacon this month, boss. That last client pushed us well over our sales target. I think the team deserves a celebration.\"<\/p>\n

\"This is how we bring home the bacon. Sure, some people have jobs, but I choose to deal drugs. It's how I feed my kids, so don't judge me.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression 'bring home the bacon' originates from the story of 'Dunmow Flitch.' This tradition occurs every four years in Great Dunmow, Essex, stretching back to 1104. A local couple in the town impressed the 'Prior' of the village with their martial devotion to each other, awarding them a side of bacon for their efforts.<\/p>\n

The first appearance of this custom in writing was in 'The Wife of Bath's Tale and Prologue,' written by Geoffrey Chaucer, circa 1395, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"But never for us the flitch of bacon though, that some may win in Essex at Dunmow.\"<\/p>\n

The modern use of the term, referring to a prize or monetary reward, comes from a championship boxing match between lightweights' Battling' Oliver Nelson and Joe Gans on 3rd September 1906.<\/p>\n

The New York newspaper 'The Post-Standard,' wrote a piece on the fight on 4th September 1906, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Before the fight, Gans received a telegram from his mother: \"Joe, the eyes of the world are on you. Everybody says you ought to win. Peter Jackson will tell me the news, and you bring home the bacon.\"<\/p>\n