bacon

Used to mock someone's voice as being strange, unpleasant, or inadequate (e.g., for singing). Bacon, being a dietary staple in older times, was often used as a metaphor for financial stability or wealth; having the voice of one who must "beg bacon," then, means having a harsh voice, like someone who is undernourished. Did you hear the way that singer was screeching last night? I'm glad we didn't stay too long, he had a good voice to beg bacon. I love Alice, but, my goodness, the girl has a good voice to beg bacon! Please do not let her sign up for the talent show. I like to sing, but only in the shower—I know I have a good voice to beg bacon.

obsolete Having a corpulent, clean-shaven face, likened to that of a pig. These bacon-faced magistrates, puffed up with their own self-importance, grow fat off the hard work of the poor. How can you trust any of the bacon-faced money-grubbers in the big city? Why would you arrange a date for me with that rude, bacon-faced buffoon?

obsolete Fat and of a greasy complexion. Used by the character Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV, referring to the "bacon-fed knaves" whom he is about to rob. Those slovenly, bacon-fed men who feed their faces till near bursting fill me with disgust. There go the bacon-fed magistrates while we ordinary folk struggle to survive. I had always known Edmund to be bacon-fed and rotund, so I was surprised to see him looking so gaunt at Christmastime.

Extremely coarse, vulgar, offensive, or profane language. My grandmother was the sweetest lady alive, but when she got angry, she could use language that would fry bacon. I'm usually pretty even-tempered, but as soon as I get behind the wheel of a car I start spouting language that could fry bacon.

To live a life of great ease, comfort, or luxury. The phrase comes from German. Jonathan has always lived like a maggot in bacon, pampered by his wealthy parents from a young age.

To save someone from imminent or impending trouble, difficulty, or danger. My brother is the best lawyer in town, and he's pulled my bacon out of the fire on more than one occasion! The president gets all the credit for the economic recovery, but it was really a team of international financial strategists that pulled our bacon out of the fire.

To rescue one from failure, danger, or disaster; to prevent something bad from happening to one. Thanks for bringing me some extra cash—you really saved my bacon. The company is in dire need of new investors to save their bacon.

To rescue or protect oneself from danger, trouble, or difficulty, usually without regard or concern for the welfare of others. In the face of the IRS audit, the CEO was more concerned with saving his own bacon than ensuring his employees' jobs remained secure. Just be sure not to leave yourself exposed in this scandal—you can be sure that the senator is looking to save her own bacon, and you should be doing the same.

A humorous notion that every actor has a connection to prolific American actor Kevin Bacon through six or fewer links. Based on the concept of "six degrees of separation," that any two people have a shared social connection through six or fewer acquaintances. Often "played" as a sort of parlor game. Not only is six degrees of Kevin Bacon legit, you can make the craziest connections in less than six steps. The man has been in everything!

A guard employed by a private security company; an imitation of a police officer. (Just as turkey bacon is an imitation of the real thing—a reference to the use of pork terms as slang for police officers.) I got a job for a while working as turkey bacon for some tech company. We've just got to distract the turkey bacon for long enough to slip into the warehouse.

slang What's going on? How are you doing? What's new with you? A: "Hey, bro!" B: "Yo, Mike! What's shakin', bacon?" A: "Not much man, you?"

Fig. to earn a salary; to bring home money earned at a job. I've got to get to work if I'm going to bring home the bacon. Go out and get a job so you can bring home the bacon.

Rur. profanity; swearing; curse words. ("Hot" language.) He carried on in language that would fry bacon. I was shocked when I heard that sweet little girl use language that would fry bacon.

Fig. to save someone from injury, embarrassment, or punishment. I saved my skin by getting the job done on time. Thanks for saving my neck! I would have fallen down the stairs if you hadn't held my arm.

Sl. How are you?; What is new? What's shakin' bacon? What's going down? Hi, Jim. What's shakin'?

Also, save one's neck or skin. Rescue one from a difficult situation or harm, as in I was having a hard time changing the flat tire but along came Bud, who saved my bacon, or The boat capsized in icy waters, but the life preservers saved our skins. The allusion in the first term is no longer clear. It may simply be a comical way of referring to one's body or one's life. At the time it was first recorded, in 1654, bacon was a prized commodity, so perhaps saving one's bacon was tantamount to keeping something precious. Both variants allude to saving one's life, the one with skin dating from the early 1500s, and with neck, alluding to beheading, from the late 1600s.

If you save someone's bacon, you get them out of a dangerous or difficult situation. Your mother once saved my bacon, did you know that? She lent me money when I needed it. Note: One explanation for this expression is that `bacon' is related to an old word for `back', so to save your bacon meant to save your back from a beating. Another is that in the past, bacon stored during the winter had to be guarded from hungry dogs. A third explanation is that the expression was in the past thieves' slang meaning `to escape'.

To succeed, to come back with something of value. The term most likely comes from the sport of catching a greased pig, popular at county fairs, where the winner was awarded the pig. However, Dr. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer believed it might come from a much older practice, instituted as far back as the early twelfth century and revived by Robert Fitzwalter in 1244. This baron willed that a side of bacon be given to any married person who would travel to Dunmow, kneel on two sharp stones at the church door, and swear that for at least a year and a day there had been no fighting in his marriage and no wish to be unmarried.