и то хлеб

• И ТО ХЛЕБ coll

[usu. indep. sent or clause; Invar; fixed WO]

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⇒ it is good that at least I (we, you etc) have this (used to express one's satisfaction with, or opinion that another should be satisfied with, sth. meager when getting more is impossible):

- (at least) it's <that's> something;

- something is better than nothing;

- I'll <we'll> settle for that;

- I'll take what I can get <you've got to take what you can get etc>.

     ♦ "Поздравляю, старик! Только сейчас твою рожу по телевизору показали. Правда, в толпе и на сотую долю секунды, но для начала и то хлеб" (Зиновьев 2). "Congratulations, old man! I have just seen your mug on television. It's true you were only one of a crowd, and you were only there for about a hundredth of a second, but it's something for a start" (2a).

     ♦ "Между прочим, мой Тенго помог мне с оползнем"... - "Значит, выплатили?" - "Нет, бетонную канаву провели за счет горсовета, и то хлеб..." (Искандер 3). "By the way, my Tengo helped me with the landslide."... "They paid you, then?" "No, they ran a concrete conduit at the city soviet's expense-I'll settle for that" (3a).