生活英语|meal ticket 饭票

Meal ticket may refer to a) a ticket that entitles the bearer to meals in a specified^{1 restaurant, especially when meals purchased in this manner are offered at reduced rates; b) someone upon whom one is dependent for one's income or livelihood2, for example, selfish children who look upon their father only as a meal ticket; or c) something, as an object or ability possessed3 by a person, that is necessary to that person's livelihood, for example, the radio announcer's voice was his meal ticket.}

Meal ticket（饭票）可指在指定饭店就餐的餐票，以此种方法就餐一般可以享受打折；或者指某人收入或生活的主要来源，如，自私的孩子们只不过把我们的爸爸当成了饭票；或指某人赖以存活的一个物品或一项技能，譬如，电台播音员的声音就是他的饭票。