feast or famine



*(either) feast or famine

Fig. either too much (of something) or not enough (of something). (*Typically: be ~; have ~.) This month is very dry, and last month it rained almost every day. Our weather is either feast or famine. Sometimes we are busy, and sometimes we have nothing to do. It's feast or famine.
See also: feast

(either) feast or famine

either too much or too little of something It's feast or famine - last week I had no work, and now I am too busy!
Usage notes: often used in the form it's (either) feast or famine, as in the example
See also: feast

feast or famine

something that you say which means that you either have too much of something or you have too little It's either feast or famine on television; last week there was nothing I wanted to see and this week there are three good films on at the same time.
See also: feast

feast or famine

Also, either feast or famine. Either too much or too little, too many or too few. For example, Free-lancers generally find it's feast or famine-too many assignments or too few, or Yesterday two hundred showed up at the fair, today two dozen-it's either feast or famine . This expression, which transfers an overabundance or shortage of food to numerous other undertakings, was first recorded in 1732 as feast or fast, the noun famine being substituted in the early 1900s.
See also: feast

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
TalbotTAL-bahtEnglish (Rare)
Seppo (2)SEP-poFinnish
Judd[dʒʌd]
Hortensia[hɔ:'tensiə]
Amilcareah-meel-KAH-reItalian
JaycobJAY-kəbEnglish (Rare)