short commons

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Meg looked worn and nervous, the babies absorbed every minute of her time, the house was neglected, and Kitty, the cook, who took life ‘aisy’, kept him on short commons.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Already they were getting used to much walking on short commons — shorter at any rate than what in the Shire they would have thought barely enough to keep them on their legs.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

For forty-eight hours he had been on short commons.

From The Dispatch-Riders The Adventures of Two British Motor-cyclists in the Great War by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

The town was not well supplied with provisions, and by the middle of October the defenders were on very short commons indeed.

From The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10) by Parrott, James Edward

I tell you that we may be down to short commons again, as we used to be in Bloomingsburg.

From The Corner House Girls How they moved to Milton, what they found, and what they did by Hill, Grace Brooks