a meal ticket
meal ticket
A person or thing used to provide permanent financial income. This new business was supposed to be my meal ticket, but it's costing me more money than I'm making. As a model, my face is my meal ticket, so I can't afford to have any blemishes!
See also: meal, ticket
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
a meal ticket
If you describe something or someone as a meal ticket, you mean that they are a way of getting all the money that you need throughout your life. A degree has never been a meal ticket, but the recession is making life for graduates tougher than ever. He was wealthy. I think she saw him as a life-long meal ticket.
See also: meal, ticket
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
a ˈmeal ticket
(informal) a person or thing that you see only as a source of money and food: He suspected that he was just a meal ticket for her. I hoped the guitar would become my meal ticket.See also: meal, ticket
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- meal ticket
- economy
- false economy
- serve (something) for (something or some reason)
- serve for
- table talk
- Bag it!
- make a meal (out) of (something)
- make a meal of
- make a meal of/out of something