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keep the wolf from the door

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wolf

  [woolf] noun, plural wolves  [woolvz] , verb
Use keep the wolf from the door in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, esp. C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.
2. the fur of such an animal.
3. any of various wolflike animals of different families, as the thylacine.
4. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lupus.
5. the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.
6. a cruelly rapacious person.
7. Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.
8. Music.
a. the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, esp. the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
b. a chord or interval in which such a discord appears.
c. (in bowed instruments) a discordant or false vibration in a string due to a defect in structure or adjustment of the instrument.
–verb (used with object)
9. to devour voraciously (often fol. by down): He wolfed his food.
–verb (used without object)
10. to hunt for wolves.
—Idioms
11. cry wolf, to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf?
12. keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.
13. wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE wulf; c. G Wolf, ON ulfr, Goth wulfs, Pol wilk, Lith vil̃kas, Skt vṛka; akin to L lupus, Gk lýkos

Related forms:
wolflike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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keep   (kēp)   
v.   kept, keep·ing, keeps

v.   tr.

  1. To retain possession of: kept the change; must keep your composure.

  2. To have as a supply: keep an ax in the shed.

    1. To provide (a family, for example) with maintenance and support: "There's little to earn and many to keep" (Charles Kingsley).

    2. To support (a mistress or lover) financially.

    3. To supply with room and board for a charge: keep boarders.

    4. To raise: keep chickens.

    5. To maintain records in: keep a yearly diary.

    6. To enter (data) in a book: keep financial records.

    7. To detain: was kept after school.

    8. To restrain: kept the child away from the stove; kept the crowd back with barriers.

    9. To prevent or deter: tried to keep the ice from melting.

    10. To refrain from divulging: keep a secret.

    11. To save; reserve: keep extra money for emergencies.

  4. To put customarily; store: Where do you keep your saw?

    1. To supply with room and board for a charge: keep boarders.

    2. To raise: keep chickens.

    3. To maintain records in: keep a yearly diary.

    4. To enter (data) in a book: keep financial records.

    5. To detain: was kept after school.

    6. To restrain: kept the child away from the stove; kept the crowd back with barriers.

    7. To prevent or deter: tried to keep the ice from melting.

    8. To refrain from divulging: keep a secret.

    9. To save; reserve: keep extra money for emergencies.

  6. To maintain for use or service: an urbanite who didn't keep a car.

  7. To manage, tend, or have charge of: Keep the shop while I'm away.

  8. To preserve (food).

  9. To cause to continue in a state, condition, or course of action: tried to keep the patient calm.

    1. To maintain records in: keep a yearly diary.

    2. To enter (data) in a book: keep financial records.

    3. To detain: was kept after school.

    4. To restrain: kept the child away from the stove; kept the crowd back with barriers.

    5. To prevent or deter: tried to keep the ice from melting.

    6. To refrain from divulging: keep a secret.

    7. To save; reserve: keep extra money for emergencies.

    1. To detain: was kept after school.

    2. To restrain: kept the child away from the stove; kept the crowd back with barriers.

    3. To prevent or deter: tried to keep the ice from melting.

    4. To refrain from divulging: keep a secret.

    5. To save; reserve: keep extra money for emergencies.

  12. To adhere or conform to; follow: keep late hours.

  13. To be faithful to; fulfill: keep one's word.

  14. To celebrate; observe.

v.   intr.

  1. To remain in a state or condition; stay: keep in line; keep quiet; kept well.

  2. To continue to do: keep on talking; keep guessing.

  3. To remain fresh or unspoiled: The dessert won't keep.

  4. To restrain oneself; hold oneself back: I couldn't keep from eavesdropping.

n.  

  1. Care; charge: The child is in my keep for the day.

  2. The means by which one is supported: earn one's keep.

    1. The stronghold of a castle.

    2. A jail.

    3. To persevere in; carry on: We asked her to stop talking, but she kept it up.

    4. To preserve or sustain: kept up the appearance of friendship.

  4. To prevent from growing, accomplishing, or succeeding: keep the revolutionaries down.

  5. To hold under control or at a reduced level: Keep your voice down.

  6. To refrain from vomiting: Although seasick, I managed to keep my food down.

  7. To maintain in good condition: kept up the property.

    1. To persevere in; carry on: We asked her to stop talking, but she kept it up.

    2. To preserve or sustain: kept up the appearance of friendship.

  9. To continue at the same level or pace: The snow kept up all day.

  10. To continue to pay off (a financial obligation).

  11. To match one's competitors, colleagues, or neighbors in success or lifestyle: couldn't keep up with his friends who went into business.

  12. To remain adequately informed: loved to keep up on the gossip.

Phrasal Verb(s):
keep atTo persevere in work or an action.
keep down

  1. To prevent from growing, accomplishing, or succeeding: keep the revolutionaries down.

  2. To hold under control or at a reduced level: Keep your voice down.

  3. To refrain from vomiting: Although seasick, I managed to keep my food down.

keep offTo stay away from.
keep toTo adhere to: keep to the original purpose.
keep up

  1. To maintain in good condition: kept up the property.

    1. To persevere in; carry on: We asked her to stop talking, but she kept it up.

    2. To preserve or sustain: kept up the appearance of friendship.

  3. To continue at the same level or pace: The snow kept up all day.

  4. To continue to pay off (a financial obligation).

  5. To match one's competitors, colleagues, or neighbors in success or lifestyle: couldn't keep up with his friends who went into business.

  6. To remain adequately informed: loved to keep up on the gossip.


Idiom(s):
for keeps

  1. For an indefinitely long period: gave the ring to me for keeps.

  2. Seriously and permanently: We're separating for keeps.


Idiom(s):
keep an eye on

  1. To watch over attentively; mind.

  2. To watch closely or carefully: keep your eye on the ball.


Idiom(s):
keep an eye outTo be watchful.

Idiom(s):
keep a stiff upper lipTo be courageous or stoic in the face of adversity.

Idiom(s):
keep company

  1. To carry on a courtship: a couple who kept company but never married.

  2. To socialize or associate: keeps company with some tough thugs.


Idiom(s):
keep (one's) chin upTo be stalwart, courageous, or optimistic in the face of difficulty.

Idiom(s):
keep (one's) eyes open/peeledTo be on the lookout.

Idiom(s):
keep (one's) nose clean Informal To stay out of trouble.

Idiom(s):
keep paceTo stay even with others, as in a contest.

Idiom(s):
keep (someone) companyTo accompany or remain with.

Idiom(s):
keep the wolf from the doorTo avoid the privation and suffering resulting from a lack of money: Both spouses had to work in order to keep the wolf from the door.

Idiom(s):
keep time

  1. To indicate the correct time.

  2. Music To maintain the tempo or rhythm.


Idiom(s):
keep to (oneself)

  1. To shun the company of others: She kept to herself all morning.

  2. To refrain from divulging: He kept the news to himself.


[Middle English kepen, from Old English cēpan, to observe, seize.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to have and maintain in one's possession or control. Keep is the most general: We received a few offers but decided to keep the house.
Retain means to continue to hold, especially in the face of possible loss: Though unhappy, he retained his sense of humor.
Withhold implies reluctance or refusal to give, grant, or allow: The tenant withheld his rent until the owner fixed the boiler.
To reserve is to hold back for the future or for a special purpose: The farmer reserved two acres for an orchard. See Also Synonyms at observe.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
wolf

  1. n.
    a bold and aggressive male. (See also fine wolf.) : He sees himself as a lady-killer. The chicks see him as an old-fashioned wolf.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

wolf 
O.E. wulf, from P.Gmc. *wulfaz (cf. O.S. wulf, O.N. ulfr, O.Fris., Du., O.H.G., Ger. wolf, Goth. wulfs), from PIE *wlqwos/*lukwos, from base *wlp-/*lup- (cf. Skt. vrkas, Avestan vehrka-; Albanian ulk; O.C.S. vluku; Rus. volcica; Lith. vilkas "wolf;" O.Pers. Varkana- "Hyrcania," district southeast of the Caspian Sea, lit. "wolf-land;" probably also Gk. lykos, L. lupus). The verb meaning "eat like a wolf" is attested from 1862. Wolves as a symbol of lust are ancient, e.g. Roman slang lupa "whore," lit. "she-wolf" (preserved in Sp. loba, It. lupa, Fr. louve). The equation of "wolf" and "prostitute, sexually voracious female" persisted into 12c., but by Elizabethan times wolves had become primarily symbolic of male lust. The specific use of wolf for "sexually aggressive male" first recorded 1847; wolf-whistle first attested 1952. The image of a wolf in sheep's skin is attested from c.1400. See here for a discussion of "wolf" in I.E. history.
"This manne can litle skyl ... to saue himself harmlesse from the perilous accidentes of this world, keping ye wulf from the doore (as they cal it)." ["The Institution of a Gentleman," 1555]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

keep the wolf from the door

Ward off starvation or financial ruin. For example, In many countries people are working simply to keep the wolf from the door, and owning a car or washing machine is just a dream, or Gail would take any job now, just to keep the wolf from the door. This term alludes to the wolf's fabled ravenousness. [Mid-1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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