How do you say “Bring home the bacon” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is faire bouillir la marmite, which literally means “to keep the cooking pot boiling”. English speakers use bring home the bacon to mean to earn the money needed to support a household. A French idiom for earning enough to keep a household going. It has an old-fashioned, homely feel. Register: informal. Usage frequency: occasional.
Closest natural French
faire bouillir la marmite
/fɛʁ bujiʁ la maʁmit/
- Literal meaning
- “to keep the cooking pot boiling”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The boiling pot stands for food on the table. This works when a job or small business supports the family.
It is about income, not any successful result. In a straightforward job description, “gagner sa vie” means earning a living without the food image.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I work nights to bring home the bacon while my partner studies.
French
Je travaille la nuit pour faire bouillir la marmite pendant que mon partenaire fait ses études.
English
Her small bakery brings home the bacon for the whole family.
French
Sa petite boulangerie fait bouillir la marmite pour toute la famille.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01