skate by
Squeak through effortlessly
To skate by is to get through a situation with minimal effort, barely meeting requirements or avoiding consequences: He skated by on charm alone.
The phrase suggests gliding past obstacles rather than confronting them directly—passing a class without studying, keeping a job without really working.
Often implies luck or superficial competence rather than genuine achievement.
- get aroundEvade or travel widely
- fly under the radarEvade attention deliberately
- breeze throughAccomplish with effortless ease
- coastLand beside the ocean
- dodgeAvoid by quick movement
luck · shirk · mediocrity · slack · complacency · skim · scrape by · cut corners · bare minimum · just enough · overlook · neglect · adequacy · glide · evade · chance · sidestep · loaf