Meaning
Barely scraping by, near broke.
Origin
From 20th-century America, tied to 1930s Depression; 'breadline' meant soup queues, slang by 1931 for broke. A 1932 'New York Times' uses it for poor.
Variants
- Breadline
Usage Examples
- He's on the breadline; barely eats.
- On the breadline since the job went.
- Breadline life; tough days.