lean times
Period of want
Lean times are periods of scarcity or financial hardship, when resources are tight and prosperity eludes.
The phrase evokes having little fat to spare—just enough to get by: During lean times, we cut back on everything but essentials.
Often used in contrast with better periods: The company prospered in the boom years but struggled through the lean times that followed.
- austerityEnforced economic stringency
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
- scarcityInsufficiency of something needed
- famineSevere food shortage
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
recession · struggle · hunger · poverty · empty pockets · belt-tightening · tight budget · rationing · shortage · sparse · meager · bare bones · scraping · making ends meet · survival · hand to mouth · frugal · bare
- hard timeshardship, struggle, struggling, unemployment, joblessness
- hardshipshardship, adversity, struggle, misfortune, difficulties
- povertypoverty line, poor, poverty rate, impoverished, generational poverty
- hungerhunger, hungry, starving, starvation, famished
- scarcityscarcity, scarce, shortage, scant, scanty
- slumpsslump, lull, losing streak, cold streak, rut
lean timesprosperity
Good fortune, success
good times · affluence · plenty · economic boom · golden age
lean timesabundance
Ample supply, overflowing
feast · surplus · bounty · cornucopia · embarrassment of riches
lean, time, leans, leaned, leaning, leaner, leanest, leanness, times