Comments on: Mail Boxes Keep the Wolf from Her Door (May, 1939)

By: jayessell

jayessell — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:51:14 +0000

Is there a model of the mailbox in front of the model house?

And in front of that?

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:15:03 +0000

(Or, more broadly, to avoid disaster, of course.)

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:14:20 +0000

Believing it to be a very old metaphor, I searched for the most reputable origin I could find on the internet. This is attributed to "E. Cobham Brewer 1810â€“1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898": To keep the wolf from the door. To keep out hunger. We say of a ravenous person, â€œHe has a wolf in his stomach,â€ an expression common to the French and Germans. Thus manger comme un loup is to eat voraciously, and wolfs-magen is the German for a keen appetite.

By: Mike Brisendine

Mike Brisendine — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:35:51 +0000

I remember a bluegrass band in the 70′s singing this song.

“Hey, hey, hey
the wolf is at the door,
He’s huffing and a puffing,
and he’s got that mighty roar,
I’m too poor to ownn a dog or buy a 44,
So I’ll just pray to the Lord above,
For the wolf is at the door.”

By: Adam C.

Adam C. — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:29:43 +0000

“Wolf at the door” is an old term referring to poverty in the states.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:14:14 +0000

“Keep the wolf from the door” is a well known expression here in the UK. It means any measure taken to get by and avoid disaster – usually related to money but it could be something else.

By: K!P

K!P — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:52:38 +0000

i find i strange that the house is wrong the right side of the roof is different.

By: Casandro

Casandro — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:49:25 +0000

What I find strange is that she seems to be located in California, yet sends them to movie stars which means that she probably ships most boxes to India.