proverb · Words worth keeping
Hunger costs little; daintiness much.
Hunger costs little; daintiness much.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Satisfying a basic need may be simpler than satisfying elaborate preferences. Daintiness represents selectiveness or luxury beyond the need itself.
What the words are saying
The contrast separates hunger from the particular dishes or comforts a person insists on having. The saying suggests that the extra expense can lie in the chosen standard rather than in the underlying need. It can be used to consider whether an elaborate requirement is essential or optional. Its claim that hunger costs little is too broad to apply to everyone: access, affordability and personal needs differ. The useful reading examines a specific preference without treating basic nourishment as universally cheap.
Everyday example
A host simplifies an optional menu when its elaborate extras exceed the gathering’s available budget.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish an essential requirement from costly optional refinements.
What it does not mean
Basic needs are not always cheap, and necessary dietary requirements are not mere fussiness.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 820 · Hunger
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English