bring home the bacon

B

bring home the bacon (idiom)
/brɪŋ hoʊm ðə ˈbeɪkən/

Meanings

• Earn the money needed to live and support oneself or one’s family.
• Provide a living and give financial support for the family.
• Achieve success or accomplish a desired goal.
• Return home with a reward at the end of the day.
• Go out, earn money, and make a living.

Synonyms: earn a living; provide for; deliver the goods; succeed; win; prevail; triumph.

Example Sentences

1. He worked two jobs to bring home the bacon for his family.
2. Jake’s job isn’t easy, but bringing home the bacon makes him a silent hero.
3. After years of hard work, he could finally bring home the bacon and take care of his parents.
4. The team trained for months, determined to bring home the bacon at the championship game.
5. She loves being able to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, providing for her family and enjoying.

Origin and History

Medieval Custom of the Flitch

The idiom is often linked to the medieval English tradition of awarding a flitch (a side) of bacon to married couples who could swear they had not regretted their marriage for a year and a day.

This custom—most famously associated with Little Dunmow (near Great Dunmow), Essex—was widely known in medieval England and is referenced by writers such as Chaucer and William Langland. According to local legend, in 1104, Reginald Fitzwalter, Lord of the Manor, and his wife disguised themselves as humble commoners and visited the Prior exactly one year and a day after their wedding. The Prior was so impressed with their harmony and loyalty that he awarded them a flitch of bacon. Fitzwalter then revealed his true identity and endowed land to the Priory, stipulating that any similarly devoted couple should receive the same reward. This legend inspired a ceremony, held every four years, in which couples would publicly prove their devotion to win the prized bacon.

Recorded References

While the legend places the origin in the early 12th century, the earliest documented awarding of the flitch dates to 1445, when Richard Wright received one. By the late 14th century, the custom was already part of popular culture, with mentions in Piers Plowman by William Langland and works attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer. These records show the tradition was both recognized and celebrated across medieval England.

Supporters of this theory suggest the idiom evolved from the literal act of winning and carrying home the flitch, making “bringing home the bacon” both a tangible prize and a symbolic mark of success.

Early Metaphorical Uses of Bacon

Bacon has long been used as a metaphor for livelihood or bodily well-being, with related expressions like “save one’s bacon” appearing in English from the 16th–17th centuries.

References from authors such as Thomas Becon show that linking bacon to sustenance and fortune predates the modern idiom.
This theory treats the Dunmow connection as cultural background rather than direct origin.

Modern Sporting Usage in America

The earliest documented use of the idiom in its modern form appears in early 20th-century U.S. newspaper coverage of sporting events—particularly boxing.

One famous example is a 1906 telegram sent to lightweight champion Joe Gans using the phrase “bring home the bacon.”
Soon after, sports reporters used it to mean “win prize money” or “come away with the reward.”

Many sources say the idiom became popular in American English in the early 1900s.

Advertising-born Variant

In the late 20th century, a playful extension—bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan—emerged in U.S. advertising.
This version was popularized by a 1980 Enjoli perfume commercial, portraying the modern woman who could earn a living and still manage domestic duties.

While the core meaning remains, the variant added a pop-culture and gendered twist reflective of its era.

Country of Origin

• Imagery and customs: England — due to the Dunmow flitch tradition and earlier metaphorical uses of bacon.
• Modern fixed idiom: United States — first clearly appearing in print in the early 1900s, particularly in sports journalism.

Earliest Printed Records

• Medieval allusions / flitch custom: References to the Dunmow flitch appear in late medieval English literature (e.g., Chaucer, Langland).
• Early modern metaphorical uses: 16th–17th century texts link “bacon” to livelihood and well-being.
• Modern idiom in print: Earliest widely cited occurrence is from American newspapers in 1906 (e.g., Post-Standard, 4 September 1906, covering Joe Gans’s fight).

Evaluation of Theories

Etymologists and reputable phrase-historians generally agree on the following points:

1. Old English cultural practice: Awarding bacon to winners is an ancient English custom that influenced the imagery.
2. Long-standing metaphorical use: Bacon has meant livelihood, food, or good fortune for centuries.
3. Modern idiom’s U.S. origin: The fixed phrase bring home the bacon in its current figurative sense first appears in early 20th-century American print, particularly in sports reporting.

In summary, the Dunmow flitch tradition is a plausible and vivid folkloric source for the imagery behind bring home the bacon, but it is not the sole origin. Evidence indicates that the phrase in its modern form developed from a blend of two strands: the long-standing English association of bacon with livelihood and well-being, and the idiom’s representation in early 20th-century American English—particularly in sports reporting. Modern usage can be seen as the outcome of both inherited cultural imagery and American linguistic innovation.

Variants

1. bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan
2. bring home the groceries
3. one who brings home the bacon

Animal, Family, Food, Money

Last update: August 15, 2025 6:09 AM