на хлеба

• НА ХЛЕБАХ; НА ХЛЕБА

[PrepP; these forms only; the resulting PrepP is usu. adv]

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1. на хлебах у кого жить, на хлеба к кому идти both obs (to live or begin to live) in s.o.'s home, paying money in exchange for lodging and meals:

- (get) room and board (in s.o.'s home);

- (be <become>) a boarder (in s.o.'s home).

     ♦ "...Жили мы тогда в приходе Пантелеймона, близ Соляного Городка, на хлебах у одной почтенной немки, платя за всё по пятьдесят рублей на ассигнации в месяц..."(Салтыков-Щедрин 2). "... We lived at the time in the Panteleymon parish near the Salt Township, as boarders of a worthy German lady, paying her altogether fifty roubles in notes a month..." (2a).

2. на хлебах чьих жить, на хлеба чьи идти, держать кого на своих хлебах и т.п. all old-fash, coll to be or become s.o.'s dependent or have s.o. as one's dependent:

- X живёт на Y-овых хлебах{{}}≈ X is supported by Y;

- X lives at Y's expense;

- X lives off (of) Y;

|| Y держит X-a на своих хлебах{{}}≈ Y keeps X (in Y's home <here etc> at Y's expense.

     ♦ "Вот о чём я раздумывал. Нельзя ли было бы сговориться с Самдевятовым, на выгодных для него условиях, чтобы он пол года продержал нас на своих хлебах..." (Пастернак 1). "This is what I was thinking. Couldn't we come to an agreement with Samdeviatov - we'd have to give him profitable terms, of course - so that he should keep us here for six months at his expense..." (1a).