Make ends meet
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Have just enough income or resources to cover necessary expenses. Usually concerns household finances and basic needs. Both is historically common but often omitted today. Regional use: English origin; now international English.
Origin
Thomas Fuller's History of the Worthies of England, published in 1662, describes a man desiring only to 'make both ends meet' and giving away what lapped over. A 1699 canting dictionary pairs the phrase with cutting one's coat according to one's cloth. Tailoring and annual-account explanations have both been proposed, but the evidence does not conclusively identify a single image; certainty about bookkeeping or corsets would exceed the record.
Research Sources
Variants
- Make both ends meet
- Make the two ends meet
- Struggle to make ends meet
Usage Examples
- Even with two jobs, the family struggled to make ends meet.
- Higher fuel bills left the small workshop barely making ends meet.
- She took in alterations at weekends to make both ends meet.