bring home the bacon

Meaning

To earn the money that supports your family or household. It is a casual, slightly humorous idiom often used when talking about financial responsibilities and who works to pay the bills.

Examples

• With both of us working, we both bring home the bacon.

  With both of us working, we both bring home the bacon.

• He's working two jobs just to bring home the bacon for his family.

  He's working two jobs just to bring home the bacon for his family.

• Who brings home the bacon in your household?

  Who brings home the bacon in your household?

• I need to find a better job so I can bring home the bacon.

  I need to find a better job so I can bring home the bacon.

• She’s the one who brings home the bacon while he takes care of the kids.

  She’s the one who brings home the bacon while he takes care of the kids.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to bring home the bacons.

  ✓ I need to bring home the bacon.

  Bacon is an uncountable noun in this idiom and must always be singular.

• ✗ He brings the bacon home to his family.

  ✓ He brings home the bacon for his family.

  While grammatically possible, the fixed idiomatic phrasal structure is 'bring home the bacon'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Since his wife started her new business, she's the one who ___.

  💡 Earns the main income for the family.

  Show answer

  brings home the bacon

• It's tough when only one person has to ___ in this economy.

  💡 Earn money to support the household.

  Show answer

  bring home the bacon