Question

Choose the correct meaning of the given phrase.
‘To keep the wolf from the door’
Option a- To keep up with
Option b- To maintain
Option c- Not to allow
Option d- To keep-alive
Option e- To keep away poverty

Answer 1

Hint: An idiom refers to a group of words or a phrase that has a different meaning in relation to the literal meaning of its words. ‘To keep the wolf from the door’ refers to keeping oneself from starvation or means of poverty.

Complete answer:
The given idiom has been derived from the Chronicle of John Hardyng, written by John Hardyng himself in 1543.
We know the meaning and the origin of the given idiom. Now, let’s look at its usage:
Example- The old couple worked day and night to keep the wolf from the door. Here, we can conclude that an old couple, ‘X’ and ‘Y’ worked day and night to prevent starvation and poverty.
Let’s decipher the meaning of the given options-
Option a- ‘To keep up with’ refers to matching or keeping pace with someone. Example- The teacher spoke patiently to allow others to keep up. ‘To keep up with’ is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘To maintain’ refers to keep going or carrying on with something. Example- The officer tried to maintain peace and calm. ‘To maintain’ is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘Not to allow’ refers to something that is prohibited or forbidden. Example- Children are not allowed to swim in the lake. ‘Not to allow’ is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘To keep alive’ refers to staying alive. Example- The doctors tried to keep the criminal alive. ‘To keep alive’ is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option e- ‘To keep away poverty’ refers to preventing starvation and means of poverty. Example- The poor people started begging to keep away poverty. ‘To keep away poverty’ is similar in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is the correct option.

The correct answer is Option ‘e’.

Note: ‘Wolf’ in the given idiom ‘to keep the wolf from the door’, symbolizes poverty and destitution. We prefer the metaphorical meaning over the literal meaning of the words in a given idiom.