loaf

half a loaf

Less than what is desired. This is the abbreviated version of the phrase "half a loaf is better than none." I know they're offering you less money than you'd hoped for, but it's a good job, so I think you should accept half a loaf. Yeah, but if I accept half a loaf now, will that set a precedent that that's all I'm worth? I was all excited to get a bonus, but I ended up with half a loaf because I forgot to account for the taxes that would be taken out.

See also: half, loaf

half a loaf is better than no bread

proverb Getting less than what one wants is better than getting nothing at all. I know they're offering you less money than you'd hoped for, but at least it's a good job—half a loaf is better than no bread. A: "I was so excited to get a bonus, but I forgot to account for all the taxes that would be taken out. Bummer." B: "Hey, man, half a loaf is better than no bread!" It's not my dream house, but it is in my dream neighborhood, and that's important. Half a loaf is better than no bread.

See also: better, bread, half, loaf, no

half a loaf is better than no loaf

proverb Getting less than what one wants is better than getting nothing at all. I know they're offering you less money than you'd hoped for, but at least it's a good job—half a loaf is better than no loaf. A: "I was so excited to get a bonus, but I forgot to account for all the taxes that would be taken out. Bummer." B: "Hey, man, half a loaf is better than no loaf!" It's not my dream house, but it is in my dream neighborhood, and that's important. Half a loaf is better than no loaf.

See also: better, half, loaf, no

half a loaf is better than none

proverb Getting less than what one wants is better than getting nothing at all. I know they're offering you less money than you'd hoped for, but at least it's a good job—half a loaf is better than none. A: "I was so excited to get a bonus, but I forgot to account for all the taxes that would be taken out. Bummer." B: "Hey, man, half a loaf is better than no bread!" It's not my dream house, but it is in my dream neighborhood, and that's important. Half a loaf is better than none.

See also: better, half, loaf, none

loaf

1. slang One's head. The term comes from rhyming slang in which "loaf" is short for "loaf of bread," which rhymes with "head." Primarily heard in UK. She hit him on the loaf with her brolly and stormed off in a huff.

2. slang By extension, one's intelligence, common sense, and intellectual ability. Usually used in the phrase "use one's loaf." Primarily heard in UK. Come on, Dean, I know you can figure this out on your own. Use your loaf! Jenny finally remembered to bring the right books home to do her homework. I'm glad she's finally using her loaf.

loaf about

To waste time idly; to spend time doing little or nothing. Chris, quit loafing about and help me take out the trash! After the stressful week that I had, I'm looking forward to just loafing about the house for the weekend.

See also: loaf

loaf around

To waste time being idle; to spend time doing little or nothing. Quit loafing around and help me take out the trash! After the stressful week that I had, I'm looking forward to just loafing around the house for the weekend.

See also: around, loaf

loaf away

1. To be idle or slothful; to be totally inactive. I don't want you loafing away on this sofa for the whole weekend, young man! After a long week of work, there's nothing I like better than to loaf away for a while with some video games or movies.

2. To pass a certain amount or period of time by being very lazy or idle. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "loaf" and "away." Too many kids just loaf the summer away in front of their computers or televisions. In my 20s, I would spend every Friday and Saturday night at the bar with my friends, but now that I have kids, I just want to loaf away the evenings at home.

See also: away, loaf

loaf of bread

1. slang Dead. The term comes from rhyming slang in which "bread" rhymes with "dead." Primarily heard in UK. Don't worry, the informant will be a loaf of bread by the time Ray's finished with him.

2. slang One's head. The term comes from rhyming slang in which "bread" rhymes with "head." Primarily heard in UK. She hit him on the loaf of bread with her brolly and stormed off in a huff.

See also: bread, loaf, of

use (one's) loaf

slang To think logically, rationally, or with common sense; to use one's head. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "loaf" is short for "loaf of bread," which rhymes with "head." Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Come on, Dean, I know you can figure this out on your own. Use your loaf! Jenny finally remembered to bring the right books home to do her homework. I'm glad she's finally using her loaf.

See also: loaf, use

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Half a loaf is better than none.

Prov. Getting only part of what you want is better than not getting anything. Fred: How did your court case go? Alan: Not good. I asked for $500, and the judge only awarded me $200. Fred: Half a loaf is better than none.

See also: better, half, loaf, none

loaf around

to waste time; to idle the time away doing almost nothing. Every time I see you, you are just loafing around. I enjoy loafing around on the weekend.

See also: around, loaf

loaf something away

to waste away a period of time. You have loafed the entire day away! He loafed away the entire day.

See also: away, loaf

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

half a loaf is better than none

Something is better than nothing, even if it is less than one wanted. For example, He had asked for a new trumpet but got a used one-oh well, half a loaf is better than none . This expression, often shortened, was already a proverb in 1546, where it was explicitly put: "For better is half a loaf than no bread."

See also: better, half, loaf, none

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

half a loaf is better than none

If you say that half a loaf is better than none, you mean that it is better to take what you can get, even if it is very little, than to risk having nothing at all. The reforms do not go as far as we wanted. Still, half a loaf is better than none. Note: Other words can be used instead of loaf and none. I'm very disappointed that there will only be one game, but half a loaf is better than no loaf, and we are happy that at least we will be playing once. Is half a step towards democracy better than no step at all?

See also: better, half, loaf, none

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

half a loaf

not as much as you want but better than nothing.

This phrase alludes to the proverb half a loaf is better than no bread , which has been in use since the mid 16th century.

See also: half, loaf

use your loaf

use your common sense. British informal

This expression probably comes from loaf of bread , rhyming slang for ‘head’.

See also: loaf, use

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

half a ˌloaf is better than ˈnone/no ˈbread

(saying) you should be grateful for something, even if it is not as good, much, etc. as you really wanted; something is better than nothing: They’re only going to agree to some of this, but half a loaf is better than none, I suppose.

See also: better, bread, half, loaf, no, none

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

half a loaf is better than none

Something is better than nothing, even if it is not all you wanted. This expression was already a proverb in John Heywood’s 1546 collection. G. K. Chesterton repeated it in his essay, What’s Wrong with the World: “Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half a loaf is better than a whole loaf.”

See also: better, half, loaf, none

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer