'To keep the wolf from the door' means to have just enough money to get by on and ward off poverty, but without having the additional means to buy luxuries. The saying is an old one, dating from, it is believed, around the 15th century, when the original expression was 'to keep the wolf from the gate'. There are several idioms relating to wolves. A 'wolf in sheep's clothing' means someone who looks quite harmless but can in fact be dangerous, 'wolfing' down food means to eat hastily, and a 'lone wolf' is someone who keeps their own company. There is also the fable by Aesop, 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf', about the shepherd boy who kept calling for help from his village by falsely claiming to see a wolf after his flock, and when a wolf really did come to prey on his animals the villagers did not believe him as he had lied in the past and did not come to his aid, so his sheep were killed and eaten.

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