What Does “Living Hand To Mouth” Mean? Origin And Proper Use

Many people use idiomatic expressions today, but only a few have a comprehensive understanding of idioms. The only way you can know any idiom is by studying that idiom. When you come across any idiom, checkup the meaning; that is the best way to understand it.

The idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” means to be extremely poor, having only enough to cater for a day. It means having enough to survive the present. For example, “June’s dad had to work four jobs to support his family; he still earned very little, so they lived from hand to mouth.”

To use this idiomatic expression correctly when writing, you must know the meaning and the correct way to use it. Well, we have you covered. This post will cover everything you need to know about the idiom “living hand to mouth.”

What Does “Living Hand To Mouth” Mean?

In this section, we will look at the figurative meaning of the idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth.” Now, what is the meaning of the idiom “living hand to mouth”?

The idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” means having only enough money for food and shelter for a short period. It also means the money you earn can only cater to your basic needs and you cannot save any of it.

It also means earning just enough to survive on for a day and not having any extra money for savings or to buy other things you may desire. The idiom also means having hardly enough food and money to live on.

The idiom refers to spending and consuming all that you have because it is below or at the barest level of subsistence. It also means providing or offering little support for necessities of living like food and shelter.

The idiom can also mean living without planning ahead but just acting or deciding what to do from day-to-day. The expression “living hand to mouth” refers to someone who is very poor and barely has enough to survive for a day.

“Living from hand to mouth” also means only having enough money to cater to your basic needs, so you are always on the verge of whether you will have food and shelter in the days to come.

What Is The Origin Of The Idiomatic Expression “Living Hand To Mouth”?

Now that we have understood the meaning of the idiom “living hand to mouth,” we will move on by discussing the origin of the idiom, when it was first used, and who was the first person to use it.

The idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” is a very old expression that has been in existence since the 1500s during the famine in Britain. At that time, it was expected that any food that comes to the hand of anyone is going straight to their mouth.

The idiom was also used during the Great Depression in America in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, people did not know when and how they would get their next meal, so whatever food they managed to get, they consumed it immediately. So that is how the expression “hand to mouth” came to be.

The expression was also used in the Essays Of Montaigne, Volume 5 in 1603 by Florio John. It was also used in both Malthus Thomas’s Essay and Hazlitt’s William’s work in 1803 and 1807 respectively.

The idiomatic expression “living from hand to mouth” was also used in Du Bartas Guillaume’s work in 1641. In 1798, Wood Henry used the idiom in one of his books titled Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles in 1798.

Previously, the idiom was used in its longer form which is: “live from hand to mouth.” But later, it became popular in the shortened version “hand to mouth.” The idiom was first used in its shortened form in 1897 in a book titled Equality written by Bellamy Edward.

How Do People Use The Expression “Living Hand To Mouth”?

Learning about an idiom does not end with knowing the meaning and the origin, you also need to fully understand how to use the idiom so that you will know when and how to use the idiom correctly in a sentence.

The idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” is used in a situation where someone is extremely poor and only has enough to survive for the day. It is mostly used when someone is experiencing a significant financial problem.

You can also use the idiom to describe someone who does not have enough money or provisions to take care of themselves and only eats when he has some money. It is also used when someone hardly has money to provide for his basic needs.

The idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” is not only used in cases of extreme poverty, and it is also used in situations where someone lives without planning. So, when someone has no plans for the future and lives from day to day, you can say the person is “living hand to mouth.”

The idiom “living from hand to mouth” is also used when describing someone who has no savings or reserve and is only surviving from the little he gains every day, so he is always worried about how he will survive the following day.

You also use the expression when describing a situation where someone only has enough to survive for the day. You can also use the expression “live from hand to mouth” in the present tense, “living from hand to mouth” in the present continuous tense, and “lived from hand to mouth” in the past tense.

Illustrative Examples On How To Use The Expression “Living Hand To Mouth”

Next, we will look at some illustrative examples that explain how to use the idiomatic expression “living hand to mouth” in a sentence.

1. My family used to be well-off until my dad lost his job, and we sold a lot of things in the house and moved into a smaller apartment, now we can barely survive and are living from hand to mouth.
2. I used to be very wealthy, but when my wife conceived, the company I worked for retrenched some workers and I was one of them; having sold most of my properties to cater to the needs of my family. Now we are living from hand to mouth.
3. The family of one of my classmates used to live from hand to mouth, but when her dad got a huge contract, they became wealthy. People that used to bully her now want to become her friends.
4. During one of my conversations with my mom, she told me to never look down on people who are living from hand to mouth because anything can happen and we could be in their shoes.
5. When James became broke, he finally experienced what it was like to live from hand to mouth, then he got a new job and resolved to always save some of his money and never spend lavishly.
6. Because I was unable to secure the scholarship I applied for, I started working part-time jobs to pay for my tuition and buy textbooks, and this made me start living from hand to mouth.
7. My daughter has been wanting to visit Paris since last year, but I kept pleading with her to be patient till I get a better job with better pay because we were currently living hand to mouth.
8. Ever since I lost my job two years ago, my family and I have been living from hand to mouth, but a few months ago, I got a new job with higher pay, so we moved into a better house and were comfortable.
9. There is a particular family in my neighborhood that lives from hand to mouth, so whenever I have food or clothing in excess, I bring it to them as a gift to show that I care about them.
10. During my research on the different classes of people and how they survive, I realized that there are lots of people who are living from hand to mouth. This has made me appreciate what I have.
11. Esther used to be a spoiled brat who always got what she wanted. Unfortunately, her father lost his job in the company he was working for, and they lived from hand to mouth, and this made her realize the importance of savings and gave her reasons to spend wisely.
12. I am someone that always manages and saves money even when I have it in excess. So when I lost my job, I did not have to live from hand to mouth.

Final Thoughts

Idiomatic expressions are one of the beauties of any language, and they help us pass across vital information we may not be able to communicate well with words. Learning about idioms is fun because you are learning better and more effective ways of communicating.

The idiomatic expression “hand to mouth” is one of the most used idioms in the English language. You will always come across this idiom because the reality of it surrounds us. With a better understanding of the idiom, you should not have any difficulty using it when writing.