below the breadline

below the breadline

Said of one who is impoverished. The "breadline" is a line of people awaiting the distribution of food from a charity. Yeah, I'm still looking for work, but at least I'm not below the breadline.
See also: below, breadline
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

below the breadline

Extremely poor.
See also: below, breadline
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • be on the breadline
  • breadline
  • on the breadline
  • charity mugger
  • mugger
  • minister to
  • minister to (one)
  • sponger
  • instance
  • at the instance of
References in periodicals archive
That figure rises to 30% of children, meaning 4.1 million are living below the breadline.
C5, 9pm All across the UK, the ruins of the recession have left families battling below the breadline. This programme meets some of those people who are fighting to make ends meet - and who resort to less than legal means when they fall short.
The charity's director Yvonne Rodgers said: "A successful Wales is a more equal Wales, and that means not having one third of our children living below the breadline."
'Below the Breadline' said 31% of workers in Wales earn less than the living wage and 19% of working people claim benefits.
This puts vulnerable citizens below the breadline. A DWP spokesman said the policy was "saving PS1million a day".
Despite Mallon's plans to improve social deprivation, Middlesbrough is still (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/437225/20130220/child-poverty-map-uk-disparity-wealth-david.htm) one of the worst areas in the UK for child poverty , with 40 percent living below the breadline in 2011, up two percent on the year before.
Nearly 54,000 struggling single working mums in Wales could lose as much as pounds 68 a week under the new Universal Credit, pushing some below the breadline, according to the charity's report today.
Despite Government efforts to eradicate child poverty, many youngsters are still living below the breadline.
Bahrain is a country of extremes, with some massively wealthy locals and expatriates, while those at the other end are literally on or below the breadline.
The number of West Midlands children living in poverty rose last year, dealing a major blow to Labour's pledge to cut the number living below the breadline.
Merthyr Tydfil AM Huw Lewis is leading plans to introduce an innovative Scandinavian scheme aimed at slashing the number of youths living below the breadline.
The struggling pushed below the breadline by Universal Credit.
GOVERNMENT figures have revealed that 28 per cent of children in Manchester and 21pc in Salford were living below the breadline in 2016 - the latest data available on a local level.
"The system is broken, with low pay, insecure work and the benefits freeze trapping families below the breadline. We need to redesign the economy to make it fair again.