Читать книгу Bees Knees and Barmy Armies - Origins of the Words and Phrases we Use Every Day - Harry Oliver - Страница 32

To ‘keep the wolf from the door’ is to have enough food and money to avoid starvation and financial ruin – in short, to get by. The wolf has long been associated with a ravenous appetite – it is used in other phrases such as ‘wolf (down) your food’ – and as a symbol of fear and danger. The expression ‘keep the wolf from the door’ dates back to the fifteenth century, and various unlikely claims have been made about its origin being the tale of The Three Little Pigs.