Either you have too much of something or too little of it, something which is surplus sometimes and sometimes you have its shortage
Etymology:
- This interesting phrase is a combination of two antonyms (opposite words) “Feast” and “Famine” which suggest excess and shortage of something respectively. Earlier in 1730s, the expression actually began as “ Feast and fast” but later the “fast” changed to “famine” which has the same meaning as fast, but does not sound quite good with the word” feast”. The change of word is still not known.
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Sometimes artists get a lot of work and sometimes they have nothing to do, it’s a feast or famine for them.
Submitted on February 25, 2019
Additional definitions for 'Feast or Famine':
| feast or famine | A situation in which something is always either extremely abundant or in extremely short supply. |
Translation
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Festin ou famine
festum aut fame patiendam
пир или голод
fest eller hungersnöd
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"Feast or Famine." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/feast-or-famine_44652>.
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