to keep the wolf from the door = mantenerse a
flote, no pasar miseria
tə kiːp ðə wʊlf frəm ðə dɔː
There are various origin stories regarding where the
phrase was first used. None of them can be
substantiated but it is clear that the phrase has
been in use since the 1500s. It can be equated to
the fact that a wolf is often depicted as a ravenous
beast. Thus, if you need to keep the wolf from the
door you need to protect your family. (Theidioms.com)
Although, the exact origin of the expression is
unclear, but it has religious undertones which
refers to two worlds, that is life and after life.
These are contrasting ideas and to have the best in
both worlds meant that the person in question is
truly successful. The biblical reference provides a
man who does good deeds for others while alive gets
to enjoy the fruits in heaven, thus getting the best
of both worlds.
This phrase became popular in the
mid and late 1900s.
El significado de to keep the wolf
from the door (literalmente, "mantener al
lobo alejado de la puerta") es tener suficiente
dinero para comer y vivir, ganar lo suficiente para no
sufrir de hambre.
El idiom original
data de al menos 1470, con la forma to keep the wolf
from the gate, y alude a la imagen del lobo como
símbolo de fuerza destructiva y voraz. Una teoría
explicativa del significado del idiom es que si una
persona es capaz de proporcionar comida a su familia,
también quedarán restos para que coman los lobos. Pero
cuando la comida se agota, no habrá sobras y los lobos
acudirían a la puerta.
Esta expresión
también tiene un uso humorístico, como eufemismo de
retrasar la eyaculación.
