[Idiom] make one's own bread

Status
Not open for further replies.

Osya Bender

Junior Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Belarus
Current Location
Belarus
that
used in singling out someone or something and ascribing a distinctive feature to them
I have always envied those people who make their own bread
OED

Is "make one's own bread" an idiom? Something like "to become a business owner" ? I didn't meet it in dictionaries.

Thank you.
 

Jenny Nguyen

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Vietnamese
Home Country
Vietnam
Current Location
Vietnam
I think "bread" in this case is "money". This definition is found in Oxford Dictionary but it is noted as "old-fashioned, slang"
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
that
used in singling out someone or something and ascribing a distinctive feature to them
I have always envied those people who make their own bread
OED


What has 'that' got to do with it, Viktor? The word 'that' doesn't occur in your sentence. What word is being defined?

Many people prefer to bake their own bread rather than buy it from shops or supermarkets.

* * *
Jenny, please read this extract from the forum's Posting Guidelines:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post.

Thank you,

Rover
 
Last edited:

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I agree with Rover that, without any further context, the statement should be taken literally. People who make their own bread are people who make loaves of bread in their own homes from scratch using the basic ingredients, instead of buying bread from a shop. The writer envies those people. Perhaps the writer has always wanted to make his/her own bread but doesn't have the time or the patience, or perhaps they have tried and the results weren't good.
 

Osya Bender

Junior Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Belarus
Current Location
Belarus
Tanks all.

What has 'that' got to do with it, Viktor? The word 'that' doesn't occur in your sentence. What word is being defined
The word "that" is being defined. It occurs as the plural ("those") in the sentence. Anyway, I quoted the definition as it is in the dictionary:)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top