proverb · Words worth keeping
A growing youth hath a wolf in his stomach.
A growing youth hath a wolf in his stomach.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures a growing young person’s appetite as unusually large. The wolf image is humorous exaggeration rather than a standard of what every young person should eat.
What the words are saying
A wolf in the stomach gives hunger a lively, demanding presence. It can express surprise at how much food someone wants without supplying a nutritional rule. Appetites differ, and the expression should not invite ridicule, pressure or moral judgment about eating. A useful reading allows the humour only where welcome and keeps the person’s actual needs and dignity in view.
Everyday example
A household notices a request for more food and responds without teasing the young person about their appetite.
When to use it
Use it as a considerate figurative description of a large appetite.
What it does not mean
This is not dietary advice, and appetite is not a measure of worth.
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 1873 · Youth
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English