eat one's seed corn: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  General Englishliteral
  • To consume seed corn or other seed grain that is intended for planting.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The farmer warned that if they eat their seed corn now, there won’t be any crops next season.

    El granjero advirtió que si comen el maíz para semilla ahora, no habrá cosecha la próxima temporada.

  • During the famine, some desperate villagers ate their seed corn to survive, risking future harvests.

    Durante la hambruna, algunos aldeanos desesperados comieron su maíz para semilla para sobrevivir, arriesgando futuras cosechas.

  • They accidentally ate their seed corn, not realizing it was meant for planting, which caused a shortage later.

    Accidentalmente comieron el maíz para semilla, sin darse cuenta de que era para plantar, lo que causó una escasez después.

  • It’s important to store seed corn separately so no one eats it by mistake before planting season.

    Es importante almacenar el maíz para semilla por separado para que nadie lo coma por error antes de la temporada de siembra.

• 2.

  General EnglishNorth Americaidiomaticinformal
  • To use up resources or capital that are intended for future investment, thereby jeopardizing future yields or prosperity.

  Examples

  Beta

  • If the company keeps eating its seed corn by spending reserves, it won’t have funds for future growth.

    Si la empresa sigue gastando sus reservas, no tendrá fondos para el crecimiento futuro.

  • Politicians warned that eating the seed corn of education funding would harm the country’s long-term prospects.

    Los políticos advirtieron que gastar los fondos destinados a la educación perjudicaría las perspectivas a largo plazo del país.

  • We cannot afford to eat our seed corn by using all our savings now; we need to invest for tomorrow.

    No podemos permitirnos gastar todos nuestros ahorros ahora; necesitamos invertir para el futuro.