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On The Bread Line

 

On The Bread Line

Watch this on YouTube here - No Money Video - YouTube Video


Meaning:

On The Bread Line refers to a group of needy people who form lines to receive free or discounted food from government or charitable organizations. As time went on, “On or under the breadline” has also been used to explain income level.


Origin:

On the breadline started out as a literal phrase, where lines of people would occur outside a bread store. The New York Times in 1904 wrote the obituary of Louis Fleishmann, it told a story of how the breadline started outside his bakery. The story goes, Louis Fleischmann opened a Vienna bakery near Broadway and 10th street in New York City. The Fleishmann family packaged yeast and wanted to open a bakery, yup, it's the same yeast you can still get today. After a while he started to get people lining up outside the bakery, the smell of the hot bread being baked drew in starving New Yorker. Fleishmann offered to feed one of the men and soon after that, a line started to form. The New York Times article read:

"The breadline grew until at night as many as 500 loaves were handed out to the men…"

After Fleischmann's death, the breadline at his bakery persisted—among many other breadlines that had popped up in the city.

Glad there are so many charities and great people who help during times of need.


Example:

Today Breadline is not as popular, but we use it to explain income level. If you do not have much money, you are below the breadline. An example Sentence is:

"If I don't make a sale today, I'll be on the breadline."


Watch this on YouTube here - No Money Video - YouTube Video



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