PhrasesHub

Eaten out of house and home

    Definitions

      • to consume all of someone's food or resources
        To describe a person or group of people who are excessively consuming resources or taking more than their fair share, often leaving others with little to nothing.

      • to deplete someone's financial resources
        To describe a situation where someone has spent large amounts of money, leaving them with little or no money left.

      • to exhaust or wear out someone's hospitality or welcome
        To describe a person or group of people who have overstayed their welcome and taken advantage of the hospitality of others, leaving the host feeling drained and overwhelmed.

    Examples of Eaten out of house and home

    • Sarah's parents had to remortgage their house to pay for her expensive lifestyle. They complained that she had eaten them out of house and home.

      When someone has eaten you out of house and home, they have spent so much money on themselves that they have left you with nothing. Sarah's parents felt that they had been depleted of all their resources due to Sarah's extravagant habits.

    • After the hurricane, the town was eaten out of house and home. All the resources were used up in the cleanup efforts, and there was nothing left for anyone else.

      In this context, the expression can mean that the resources of a place have been completely depleted. After the hurricane, there were no more resources left to help others in need, leaving the town empty-handed.

    • The startup company was eating itself out of house and home. It was blowing through its funds at an alarming rate, and they might run out of money soon.

      When a company eats itself out of house and home, it means that it is spending its funds rapidly without any control. In this case, the startup was running out of money quickly, having spent too much too quickly.

    • The family had eaten out of house and home for the past few months, as they were struggling to make ends meet.

      This usage of the expression emphasizes that a person or a family has run out of resources. The family had used up all their resources due to financial difficulties, leaving them with nothing left.

    • The grandparents took the entire family on a week-long vacation to Hawaii, expecting everyone to chip in for expenses. However, their adult children and grandchildren were so busy having fun and indulging in all the activities and local cuisine that they overspent and left the grandparents footing most of the bill. By the end of the trip, the grandparents felt like they had been "eaten out of house and home."

      The idiom "eaten out of house and home" refers to the feeling of being financially drained or impoverished due to others' excessive spending or misuse of resources. The phrase stems from the image of food being consumed to the point where there is nothing left in the house, including the house itself. In this case, the grandparents' financial resources were overspent by their family members, leaving them feeling like they had been literally "eaten out of house and home."


    Conclusion

    The phrase "eaten out of house and home" is commonly used to describe a situation where someone has consumed or taken more than their fair share of resources, whether it be food, money, or hospitality. It conveys a sense of frustration or annoyance towards the person or group who has depleted these resources.

    This idiom can also be used more figuratively to describe a person or group who is constantly taking advantage of others and not contributing their fair share. It can be used in a negative sense, to criticize someone's excessive consumption, or in a sympathetic manner, to describe someone who is struggling to make ends meet.

    Origin of "Eaten out of house and home"

    The origin of this idiom can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was used in Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 2. In the play, the character Doll Tearsheet says, "And I prithee sweet wag, when thou art king, as God save thy grace--Majesty I should say, for grace thou wilt have none--"I prithee, remember I have eaten thy bread and salt." This suggests that the phrase was already well-known and understood by Shakespeare's audience.

    The phrase has also been linked to the tradition of hospitality in medieval times, where guests were expected to be treated with great generosity and provided with food and shelter. This led to the fear of being "eaten out of house and home" by guests who would consume all of the host's resources.

    Overall, the phrase "eaten out of house and home" has been used for centuries to express the idea of excessive consumption or taking advantage of someone's resources. Its origins can be traced back to literature and societal customs from the medieval period.