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On the dole
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What's the meaning of the phrase 'On the dole'?
Unemployed and in receipt of state benefit. This expression is used worldwide but most commonly in the UK and Australia.
What's the origin of the phrase 'On the dole'?
The word dole has been used since the 13th century to refer to a charitable gift given to the poor. This derives from the 'doling out', that is, 'handing out' of charitable gifts of food or money.
be 'On the dole'.
The expression 'on the dole' is much more recent. First World War soldiers who had returned home to unemployment were given the UK's Unemployment Benefit. These soldiers were referred to as being 'on the dole'.
The first example that I can find of the phrase in print is from March 1925, when it was recorded in a story in the Westminster Gazette, with this caption:
3,000 Aliens on the Dole.
