Dictionary Home » The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms » fat of the land, the

fat of the land, the

fat of the land, the idiom

The best or richest of anything, as in The tiny upper class lived off the fat of the land while many of the poor were starving. This expression alludes to fat in the sense of “the best or richest part.” The Bible has it as eat the fat of the land (Genesis 45:18).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.