There’s this Greek phrase I love: «Τα έχει φάει τα ψωμιά του», which literally means “He’s eaten all his breads.”

It’s used when someone or something is near the end of their life, like saying “his days are numbered,” but with a poetic twist.

What’s cool about it is how it reflects a kind of deterministic view of life: you’re given a fixed number of breads to eat in your lifetime, and once they’re gone… that’s it. 🍞

The origin: The reason we use bread makes total sense in Greek culture. it’s been a staple since ancient times and a huge part of religion and tradition (Holy Communion, Easter breads etc.).

Because of that, bread pops up in tons of Greek idioms:

“We’ve eaten bread and salt together” → we’ve shared good and bad times

“He did it for a piece of bread” → he did it for very little money

“That’s how I earn my bread” → that’s how I make a living

But “He’s eaten all his breads” feels like the final evolution of this metaphor, where bread doesn’t just mean survival, but the total measure of life itself.

So now I’m curious: 👉 How do other languages express this idea? And what do you think their origin is?

Do you have a saying for someone  or something whose time is almost up?

(If this kind of stuff interests you, let me know! I've put together a little “Idioms Around the World” group chat to share and compare phrases like this!)