short rations

Minutes earlier, the crew had been on short rations eaten cold.

Overall, military spending accounts for about half of the federal government's total discretionary spending — while programs for helping instead of killing are on short rations at many local, state and national government agencies.

As William Styron once wrote, the historical novelist works best when fed on short rations.

Short rations from a sunken liner force the officer of a packed lifeboat to sacrifice the weak.

A lot of times they were on very short rations, eating just hardtack and water day after day.