Ends meat
I must have been pretty small when I first heard someone say '...they can barely make ends meet.' I understood that 'they' were poor, or hard up and I imagined 'ends meat' as being bits of meat scraped together after the butcher had done all the good cuts, scraped off bones etc. A bit like 'scraps' in the chippie.

It was many years later when I first saw it written down and it finally twigged what the 'real' meaning was. I still think my definition is better, after all, the ends of what exactly can't they get to meet?

Anyway, we'll all be eating it soon, once we go into recession again. If someone wants to set up the 'Ends Meat' company, specialising in poor cuts and offal, I want a share of the royalties please.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 11:52, 12 replies)

I'm sorry to tell you,
but processed ham already exists. As do turkey twizzlers.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 11:55, closed)

I prefer your definition...

And will using it from now on. Of course, it will still sound the same so nobody will notice, but it will make a difference to me.
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Thu 19 Jan 2012, 11:55, closed)

Seconded. *click*

(universalpsykopath loves what you've done with your hair., Thu 19 Jan 2012, 14:09, closed)

Neck of mutton
makes the most amazing stew.
( P-MONKE We're all fucked, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:18, closed)

The cut I bought didn't.
It just sat there on the sideboard, and went rancid.

/try the veal.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:22, closed)

^this
haven't had that for years!
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 13:15, closed)

Depends
On how cheap the sausage is.
(The Luggage is haunted..., Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:25, closed)

I've just eaten the vegetarian equivalent for lunch
I looked in the fridge this morning for something for lunch and (apart from milk) there was one carrot, half a bag of sugar snap peas and three mini pickled beetroots. Chopped the lot up and mixed them with a 'microwave in a minute' rice. Made TWO nourishing meals.

Ends veg.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:26, closed)

*nerd alert*
This comes from an archaic meaning of meet, meaning to be the same, and "making ends meet" means having the same amount of money at each end of the year (i.e. not slipping further towards poverty)
( Tedium Alduce me to interlow myself., Thu 19 Jan 2012, 13:03, closed)

Thanks Ted'
This prompted me to do a whole 2 minutes research, and I'm not entirely convinced. Take a look at this: www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-mak1.htm Looks/feels just as likely to me.

Interestingly (or not), I'm not the first to think it was 'meat', with some far-fetched theory about stuffing sausages! Haven't linked to that, as it's farcical.

But, of course, we'll never know.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 13:42, closed)

I used to think this as well.
So did my girlfriend.

The only difference is I realised years ago, and she only realised last week.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Thu 19 Jan 2012, 13:50, closed)

Think kebab shops pretty much have that market cornered

(localboy purveyor of pisspoor puns, Fri 20 Jan 2012, 11:04, closed)