Definition of on the dole. : receiving money that a government (especially the British government) gives to people who do not have jobs or who are very poor They’ve been on the dole for a year.Click to see full answer. In this regard, what does Dole mean slang?In the UK, Unemployment Benefit has been known by the slang term ‘the dole’ since WWI. This derives from the ‘doling out’, that is, ‘handing out’ of charitable gifts of food or money. This dates back to at least 1919, when it was recorded in The Daily Mail: “You won’t draw your out-of-work dole of 29s.Secondly, what does on the brew mean? On the brew means being unemployed or receiving unemployment benefits, and is similar to on the dole. Likewise, people ask, what does living off the dole mean? phrase. Someone who is on the dole is registered as unemployed and receives money from the government. [mainly British]regional note: in AM, usually use on welfare. See full dictionary entry for dole.Where did the word Dole originate?Of Germanic origin, the noun dole is from Old English dāl, meaning division, portion, share (dāl was a parallel form to dǽl, which is the origin of the noun deal).