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It was a real hand-to-mouth existence in those early days - I'd have whatever dry cereal there was in the house for breakfast, 30 cents to spend on lunch and a hot dog for dinner. I did that for years. So there was definitely a hunger in me, of various kinds, to succeed.
Neil Diamond

Meaning of "hand-to-mouth" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF HAND-TO-MOUTH

hand-to-mouth play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HAND-TO-MOUTH

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Hand-To-Mouth can act as an adjective and an adverb.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES HAND-TO-MOUTH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of hand-to-mouth in the English dictionary

The definition of hand-to-mouth in the dictionary is with barely enough money or food to satisfy immediate needs.


WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE HAND-TO-MOUTH

hand-loomed
hand-me-down
hand-me-up
hand-off
hand-out
hand-painted
hand-pick
hand-picked
hand-piece
hand-play
hand-printed
hand-rear
hand-reared
hand-spray
hand-stitched
hand-to-hand
hand-wash
hand-worker
hand-woven
hand-wringing

WORDS THAT END LIKE HAND-TO-MOUTH

Bournemouth
cottonmouth
Dartmouth
down in the mouth
down-in-the-mouth
Falmouth
from hand to mouth
have a big mouth
look a gift-horse in the mouth
Monmouth
mouth
Plymouth
Portsmouth
run off at the mouth
south
the horse´s mouth
vermouth
Weymouth
word of mouth
word-of-mouth
Yarmouth

Synonyms and antonyms of hand-to-mouth in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «HAND-TO-MOUTH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «hand-to-mouth» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of hand-to-mouth

Translation of «hand-to-mouth» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF HAND-TO-MOUTH

Find out the translation of hand-to-mouth to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of hand-to-mouth from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «hand-to-mouth» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

勉强糊口的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

precario
570 millions of speakers

English

hand-to-mouth
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

हाथ से मुंह
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

اليد الى الفم
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

из рук в рот
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

ao deus-dará
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

এখনও বিক্রয়ের জন্য
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

au jour le jour
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tangan ke mulut
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

armselig
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

その日暮らしの
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

하루벌어 하루 먹는
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tangan-kanggo-tutuk
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tay -miệng
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கைக்கு வாய்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

हात-तोंड
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kıt kanaat geçinen
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

precario
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

ręka -usta
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

з рук в рот
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

mână - la - gură
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

χέρι-με - στόμα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

hand - tot-mond-
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

hand-till - mun
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hånd-til - munn
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of hand-to-mouth

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HAND-TO-MOUTH»

The term «hand-to-mouth» is regularly used and occupies the 81.562 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
62
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «hand-to-mouth» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of hand-to-mouth
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «hand-to-mouth».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HAND-TO-MOUTH» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «hand-to-mouth» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «hand-to-mouth» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about hand-to-mouth

EXAMPLES

3 QUOTES WITH «HAND-TO-MOUTH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word hand-to-mouth.
1
Neil Diamond
It was a real hand-to-mouth existence in those early days - I'd have whatever dry cereal there was in the house for breakfast, 30 cents to spend on lunch and a hot dog for dinner. I did that for years. So there was definitely a hunger in me, of various kinds, to succeed.
2
Sonu Nigam
I was born in Faridabad but brought up in Delhi and Mumbai. My father had been living hand-to-mouth and literally slept on railway platforms when he came to Mumbai for the first time to become a film singer. My parents were both singers; they sang together and fell in love due to their singing.
3
Carol Vorderman
It really was hand-to-mouth and you can say, 'Poor little me, how dreadful, what a deprived childhood', but I didn't feel that way at all. It's all about the attitude at home.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HAND-TO-MOUTH»

Discover the use of hand-to-mouth in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to hand-to-mouth and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Hand to Mouth
One of the most original and audacious autobiographies ever written by a writer, Hand to Mouth tells the story of the young Paul Auster's struggle to stay afloat.
Paul Auster, 2014
2
From Hand to Mouth: The Origins of Language
While this is admittedly a provocative work, the author has marshaled considerable evidence in support of his thesis. Indeed, he has done all of us a great service by raising the level of discussion surrounding this controversial topic.
Michael C. Corballis, 2002
3
Hand to Mouth: Reality-Oriented Weight Control
A how-to manual that explains what needs to be done in order to lose unwanted body weight permanently.
Norman Haughness
4
From Hand to Mouth, Or, How We Invented Knives, Forks, ...
A history of the eating utensils and table manners of various cultures from the Stone Age to the present day.
James Giblin, 1987
5
Hand to Mouth: Essays on the Art of Dentistry
This lighthearted collection draws on wide-ranging cultural references in art, history, literature, politics, film, and music to create a captivating and whimsical portrait of the dental profession.
Eric K. Curtis, 2002
6
Hand to Mouth to India
God is Great and I Love Pakistan! Bells on chains hung from the rear to emit an incessant tinkling sound in transit and all kinds of hanging, bobbling paraphernalia could be seen in the cabins. I approached a few of the drivers who squatted in ...
7
Earning a living; or, From hand to mouth
Mary Ann S. Barber. room in the neighbourhood, paying for it a deposit of sixpence ; but afterwards, having succeeded in getting up the arrears, she found it better to remain where she was ; but the sixpence was lost, of course ; forfeited.
Mary Ann S. Barber, 1861
8
Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Hands 1732 Belcher Papers 1.113: A poor Govr who lives but from hand to mouth. 1732 Byrd Progress 348. 1747 Stith History 56: Such Provisions as ... served them from Hand to Mouth, 82: Careless of every thing, but just from Hand to Mouth ...
Bartlett Jere Whiting, 1977
9
Bruce Nauman
In works such as From Hand to Mouth (1967), Nauman uses a cliche to question a form of representation. Just as the painter Jasper Johns, Nauman appears to raise the issue as to whether language is capable of defining forms of material ...
Robert C. Morgan, 2002
10
Hand to Mouth to India
The travelogue of a 20 year old English guy who decides to hitchhike from England to India with no money at all.
Tom Thumb, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HAND-TO-MOUTH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term hand-to-mouth is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Nova Scotia couple who lost life savings settle lawsuit with Quadrus
"It's been tough living hand-to-mouth, really — which sounds ridiculous given the job that I have — but that's the situation we were put into. «CBC.ca, Jul 15»
2
Rate rise moving closer - Carney
Mr Carney said: "The one risk we are not worried about is that hand-to-mouth consumers are about to purchase an Aston Martin. The principal ... «shropshirestar.com, Jul 15»
3
Presidential elections and income inequality
The next president's real problem happens inside the home of ordinary people whose hand-to-mouth existence indicates the lack of social ... «Inquirer.net, Jul 15»
4
Incredible feat at Wimbledon
Professional tennis is an expensive proposition and many a talented Indian pro leads a hand-to-mouth existence. The top players like Somdev ... «Deccan Herald, Jul 15»
5
The Anti-Poverty Soldier: Developing critical financial assets as a …
The hand-to-mouth existence of many poor and low-income people keeps them from breaking their cycle of poverty when they have no ... «Sun Focus, Jul 15»
6
CM charges NDA govt with bias
The common man had been left to lead a hand-to-mouth existence as prices of all essential commodities had increased manifold, he said. «Chandigarh Tribune, Jul 15»
7
New business helps you kick the habit
You just have the hand-to-mouth habit, which is nothing harmful, and if they want to continue using it, there's different levels of it. A lot of people ... «Therogersvillereview, Jul 15»
8
After losing arm in 11/7 blast, man continues to wait for railways job
I am living a hand-to-mouth existence." After the blast, Pitale initially got fitted with an artificial left arm but couldn't manage to work normally. «Daily News & Analysis, Jul 15»
9
Inner-city youth empowered with social, career skills
Fraser from Rose Town grabbed the opportunity with both hands, after being at home struggling with "hand-to-mouth hairdressing". "I didn't ... «Jamaica Gleaner, Jul 15»
10
Alexis Tsipras has put Greece on the road to being a failed state
Already the country has been living from hand-to-mouth with the government running out of cash and struggling to make each month's public ... «Newsday, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Hand-To-Mouth [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/hand-to-mouth>. May 2024 ».
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