meat and drink

meat and drink (uncountable)

1. That on which somebody survives, or which makes their existence meaningful; means of subsistence.
   • 1811, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament:

     The work he had done in instructing the woman; the work he had to do among the Samaritans; the prospect he now had of doing good to many, this was meat and drink to him; it was the greatest pleasure and satisfaction imaginable.

   • 1962 August, G. Freeman Allen, “Traffic control on the Great Northern Line”, in Modern Railways, page 132:

     This sort of thing is meat and drink to the born Controller—and Controllers are born with the right imperturbable temperament for the job; hence the fact that they are recruited from many different grades of operating staff, and some recruits don't stay the course.

• “be meat and drink to”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.