scratch by
Just get along
To scratch by is to manage survival or get through a difficult situation with barely enough resources.
The phrase emphasizes struggle and insufficiency—you're not thriving, just getting by: They scratched by on her disability check until he found work.
Similar to scrape by, with scratch suggesting the effort of clawing for what little you can get.
- subsistMaintain minimal existence
- get bySurvive with minimal resources
- scrape bySurvive with minimal resources
- scrimpSpend very sparingly
- surviveContinue to exist
make ends meet · muddle through · cobble together · endure · jury-rig · struggle · keep afloat · economize · eke out · adapt · persist · keep going · hang on · make do · cut corners · persevere · hardship · slog
financial/material prosperity
scratch bythrive
Flourish with vigor
prosper · flourish · have it made · strike it rich · live large
scratch, scratched, scratching, scratches, scratchy, scratcher