Quick answer: “Bring home the bacon” means to earn money to support your family, especially as the main breadwinner.
Bring home the bacon — To earn money to support one's family; to be the primary breadwinner in a household.
Meaning
To “bring home the bacon” means to earn the money needed to support yourself or your family. It usually refers to the person, or people, whose income is the main source of financial support for a household. The idiom can also be stretched more broadly to mean succeeding at a task or achieving a desired result through effort, especially where money or reward is involved.
It carries a warm, everyday tone rather than a technical or financial one — you would say someone “brings home the bacon” in casual conversation about work and family life, not in a payslip or a tax document. The phrase is closely tied to traditional ideas of working hard to provide for loved ones.
Origin & Usage Note
The precise origin of “bring home the bacon” is not fully documented, and different explanations circulate, so it is best treated with some caution. Bacon was historically a valued and relatively expensive food in many households, so being able to bring it home was likely seen as a sign that a family was provided for. Some popular explanations link the phrase loosely to old country fairs or contests where a side of bacon was offered as a prize, but no single event can be confirmed as the definite source. By the early 20th century, the figurative meaning — earning a living — was well established in English.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Context |
|---|---|
| Ever since he lost his job, his wife has been the one bringing home the bacon. | Describing the main household earner |
| Both parents work full-time to bring home the bacon these days. | Modern dual-income households |
| She travels constantly for work, but it's how she brings home the bacon. | Explaining a demanding job as necessary income |
| The sales team really brought home the bacon this quarter. | Business; describing strong financial results |
| He joked that as a freelance writer, he barely brings home the bacon some months. | Informal comment about irregular income |
How to Use It
Use “bring home the bacon” to talk about earning income, especially as the main financial support for a family, or more loosely about achieving a profitable result through work. It is informal and works well in everyday speech, casual writing, and light business commentary, but it should be avoided in formal financial reports or official documents. The idiom is often used with “the one who” or “whoever” to identify a specific earner.
Common Mistakes
Mistakes to Avoid
I bought bacon and brought it home for dinner.
I bought bacon and cooked it for dinner. — When used literally about food, avoid the idiom entirely, since it will read as a strange pun rather than a clear statement.
She works hard to bring home bacon for her kids.
She works hard to bring home the bacon for her kids. — The definite article “the” is required before “bacon” in this idiom.
He brought home the bacon once, with a huge bonus last December.
He's always brought home the bacon for his family. — The idiom typically describes an ongoing role as an earner, not a single one-off payment.
Similar Idioms
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Quick Check: Bring home the bacon
2 questions — test what you just learned.
1. What does “bring home the bacon” mean?
2. Complete the sentence: “His wife has been the one _____ since he lost his job.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “bring home the bacon” mean?
“Bring home the bacon” means to earn money to support yourself or your family, especially by working. It is often used to describe the main income earner in a household, and can also mean to achieve success or provide for others through one's work.
Where does the expression “bring home the bacon” come from?
The exact origin is debated, but the idiom likely draws on bacon as a historically valued household food, once considered a small luxury or a sign that a family could provide for itself. Some sources connect it loosely to old country fairs and prize competitions, though no single documented event can be confirmed as the definite source. What is clear is that by the 20th century the phrase was firmly established in English to mean earning a living.
Can you give an example of “bring home the bacon” in a sentence?
Here is an example: “Ever since he lost his job, his wife has been the one bringing home the bacon.” The sentence describes who is currently earning the household income.
Is “bring home the bacon” formal or informal?
The idiom is informal and conversational. It is common in everyday speech and casual writing about work and family finances, but it would sound out of place in formal financial or legal documents.
What CEFR level is “bring home the bacon”?
This idiom is typically encountered at B2 level. It requires learners to be comfortable with figurative expressions about work, money, and family roles, which are usually introduced at intermediate to upper-intermediate stages.
What are common mistakes with “bring home the bacon”?
A common mistake is using the idiom literally about food, rather than figuratively about earning money. Learners also sometimes forget the article “the” before “bacon”, saying “bring home bacon”, which sounds incomplete. Another error is using it to describe a one-off payment rather than ongoing income or financial support.
Does “bring home the bacon” always refer to the main earner in a family?
Most often, yes — it typically describes whoever earns the primary income supporting a household. However, it can also be used more loosely to describe anyone who is working hard and successfully earning money, even outside a family context, such as a salesperson closing a big deal.
Is “bring home the bacon” considered old-fashioned?
It has a slightly traditional flavour, often associated with older ideas about a single household breadwinner, but it remains widely used and understood today, including in modern contexts where either partner, or multiple people, may “bring home the bacon”.
How do I practise idioms like “bring home the bacon”?
LexFizz's Flip Tiles and Flash Cards exercises are excellent for practising English idioms in context. Try writing sentences about people you know and their jobs, and listen for the idiom in conversations or shows about work and family life.
Is “bring home the bacon” used in both British and American English?
Yes. “Bring home the bacon” is used and understood in both British and American English, and it appears frequently in casual conversation across most English-speaking countries.