bacon

bacon — noun

1. pig meat that has been preserved with salt or smoke, taken either from along the

1.nounB1
Definition

pig meat that has been preserved with salt or smoke, taken either from along the animal's spine or its belly, and typically sliced into thin strips for frying.

Example

Grandma fried two slices of bacon and an egg for my breakfast.

uncountable: 'two slices of bacon'

The smell of crispy bacon drifted up from Mr. Patel's kitchen on Sunday morning.

collocation: crispy bacon

Common collocations
  • fry bacon
  • crispy bacon
  • smoked bacon
  • streaky bacon
  • a slice of bacon
  • a rasher of bacon
  • bacon and eggs
Synonyms
  • rasher

    British term for a single slice of bacon, not the meat itself

  • pancetta

    Italian cured pork belly; usually unsmoked and used in cooking rather than served as strips

  • gammon

    British term for cured pork from the leg, often served as a thick steak rather than thin slices

Grammar Patterns

uncountable: a slice of bacon

a rasher of bacon (British)

Usage Note

Uncountable in normal use; quantify with 'a slice / strip / piece of bacon' (American) or 'a rasher of bacon' (British). The plural 'bacons' refers to different types or cuts, not individual pieces.

Common Mistakes

I ate three bacons for breakfast.
I ate three slices of bacon for breakfast.
bacon is uncountable; count it with slice / strip / rasher.
Can I have a bacon sandwich with much bacons?
Can I have a bacon sandwich with lots of bacon?
use 'lots of / a lot of' with the uncountable noun.
Idioms

bring home the bacon

idiom

to earn the money that your family needs to live on, especially as the main income for the household.

Since the factory closed, Kalani has been bringing home the bacon by driving a delivery van.

Mr. Okafor worked two shifts every day to bring home the bacon for his five children.

save someone's bacon

idiom

to rescue someone from a difficult or embarrassing situation, often at the last moment.

Lucia saved my bacon by lending me her notes the night before the chemistry exam.

The mechanic saved our bacon when our car broke down in the desert.

save somebody’s bacon/neck

idiom

It means to help someone escape from a serious problem or danger.

Maya saved my bacon when she fixed the computer before the boss saw it.

Did Diego's quick thinking save your neck during the audit?

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name cured pork, but each refers to a different cut and cooking style. 'Bacon' is the everyday word for thin strips taken from the back or belly of a pig, salted or smoked, and usually fried until crisp for breakfast: 'Maria fried bacon and eggs.' 'Ham' comes from the pig's hind leg and is usually sold in larger pre-cooked pieces, served cold in sandwiches or hot at holiday meals: 'a slice of ham on rye bread.' 'Pancetta' is Italian cured pork belly, often unsmoked and diced into small cubes for pasta sauces rather than eaten as strips. 'Gammon' is a British cut from the leg, sold as thick steaks and usually grilled or roasted whole, never crisped like bacon.

bacon ↗ham ↗pancettagammon

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bacon and eggs
  • bacon sandwich
  • bacon rasher
  • bacon strip
  • bacon fat
  • bacon bits

Phrases

  • a slice of bacon
  • a rasher of bacon
  • streaky bacon
  • smoked bacon
  • back bacon
  • fry the bacon

Prepositions

  • with bacon
  • of bacon

Etymology

FrankishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word entered English in the early 14th century from Old French 'bacon', meaning cured pork, which itself came from a Frankish root linked to the back of an animal. The Germanic ancestor is related to the modern English word 'back', reflecting that the cut was originally taken from a pig's back. By the 1500s the word was firmly fixed in English cookery vocabulary, and idioms like 'bring home the bacon' grew up around its association with prized food and a working family's livelihood.