"Make Ends Meet" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 16/06/2021

0:00 - How to Say, “... make ends meet.”
0:19 - Examples of “... make ends meet.”
1:02 - Meaning of “... make ends meet.”
1:20 - Origin of “... make ends meet.”
4:10 - More Examples of “... make ends meet.”
5:01 - Conclusion

“... make ends meet.”

If someone says that they have to “make ends meet”, it means that they need to have enough money, income, earnings to buy the necessities of life.

“As immigrants without much of an education, we have to work long hours in order to make ends meet,” your parents might be telling you.

Maybe your aunt is giving you advice, “For university, you need to choose a major that you not only like, but will help you to make ends meet.”

“I have to work three jobs just to make ends meet,” your pizza delivery guy might be telling you.

As you can see, to “make ends meet”, is to work, earn, pull in just enough money in order to pay for all the things you need, survive.

The origin of the idiom, “make ends meet”, is not entirely clear, though it was known at least as early as 1661. The first explanation has to do with clothing, garments or tailoring…

… you see, if you can afford enough cloth and are making clothes for yourself, the two cut ends of the fabric will meet, allowing the cloth to be sewn into clothes.

Another origin explanation is that you must have enough in order to make it to the end of the year, thus being able to meet the beginning of the next year. This corresponds with an old French expression, “to join both ends of the year”.

Indeed, cultures all around the world understand the importance of making ends meet and most often discuss it when a new year is upon us.

In Taiwan, a common greeting to celebrate the new year is, “Year after year, wishing you a surplus.”

In Russia and Ukraine, people can be heard wishing each other, “Have a prosperous New Year!”

In the Philippines, you’ll also hear, “Have a prosperous New Year!” and you’ll see people wearing polka dots and will see decorations with round shapes that symbolize coins, wealth, prosperity.

Meanwhile in Brazil, you’ll see people wearing yellow which symbolizes money; perhaps you’ll be told to chew seven pomegranate seeds at midnight, then keep the seeds in your wallet to ensure that it’ll be full of money in the new year.

On the other hand, in Japan, the social aspect is emphasized with the greeting, “Thank you for all your support last year, I look forward to our relationship this year.”

“Perhaps your New Year’s resolution should be to work harder so that you don’t just make ends meet,” your friend heartily advises.

Possibly, your friend asks you to borrow some money, “I’m having a hard time making ends meet this month. The lockdowns have been brutal.”

“Making ends meet is harder for some people, don’t assume that they’re lazy or don’t work hard enough,” your dad might be teaching your little brother to be a kinder person.

So, the next time you want to talk about making or earning enough money to survive, buy the basics, meet your needs, know that it’s “making ends meet”.

#superduperenglishidioms #englishidioms #idioms #proverbs

References: https://wordhistories.net/2017/01/31/to-make-both-ends-meet/

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/66831/origin-of-make-ends-meet/66834

https://worldstrides.com/blog/2016/12/9-new-years-traditions-cultures-around-world/

https://www.classadventuretravel.com/guide-traditions-new-years-brazil/