Region: US | Usage example: Extra gigs kept the wolves at bay during the dry season.

Keep the wolves at bay

Meaning

Keep danger or poverty from hurting you.

Used when defending against threats or scarcity.

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Farmers imagined wolves that threatened livestock and had to be kept away.

Used in American and British frontier stories throughout the nineteenth century.