[Idiom] Live from hand to mouth

[BallsOfSteel]

Hello everyone!

There is this prase "(live) from hand to mouth" that means that one is really hard up and can satisfy only immediate needs because of lack of money. Is it used in modern English and what is more importnat is it used in the USA?? Are there any other similar idioms that are common in everyday speech in America?

Thank you.

 

[The Maltese Falcon]

Yes it is used in Modern English and it is something which you hear quite a lot! Here's a song by one of my favourite bands that uses this idiom in the lyrics:

As for similar idioms, I can think of two: 'making ends meet', and 'keeping my head above water'.

I hope this helps!
TMF

 

[BallsOfSteel]

Great. Thank you very much.

Funny enough, in Russian there is exactly the same idiom about making ends meet.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, it's used in current BrE. We also use "[just about] making ends meet" and "living/being on the bread line". The official term these days seems to be simply "to be in poverty" or "to be living on/below the poverty line".

 

[SoothingDave]

"From paycheck to paycheck" is common (though it's a bit better than living hand-to-mouth).

 

[probus]

"From paycheck to paycheck" is common (though it's a bit better than living hand-to-mouth).

Living paycheck to paycheck is one thing. If I live paycheck to paycheck, I go to the supermarket on payday and buy a week's worth of food and hope I have enough left over for rent. Living hand to mouth is much worse. It implies sometimes not having money for today's food or to feed your children, and probably being in the grip of the "payday loan" sharks.

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes, that's why I said it's a bit better.

 

[konungursvia]

There's also keeping the wolf from the door.