carry the stick

carry the stick

To become a vagrant. The "stick" here supports a "bindle," a small cloth sack that is traditionally carried by hobos. If you don't stop racking up so much credit card debt, you'll be carrying the stick sooner than later!
See also: carry, stick
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

carry the stick

tv. to live as a hobo, on the streets. (Streets. From the stick that supports the hobo’s bundle.) I was afraid I’d be carrying the stick if I got laid off.
See also: carry, stick
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • bindle
  • take the cloth
  • man of the cloth
  • cut (one's) coat to suit (one's) cloth
  • in cloth
  • sack up
  • hit the sack
  • on tenterhooks, to be
  • bagman
References in periodicals archive
"They carry the stick of Medicare, Medicaid and the Department of Defense, which pays for a whole lot of health care."
Can technology heal the health care industry? What's needed are common standards, privacy assurances
Abu Majid said he takes in about SR50 every day from selling his sticks and has to pay SR10 to a person who helps carry the sticks to and from his home.
Bab Makkah: A unique ambience