scrape along

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scrape along

I scrape along on my small income by living very frugally.

Definition

Verb (phrasal verb): - To manage to survive or continue with great difficulty, typically with very limited financial resources. It implies barely meeting one's basic needs.

Usage

This phrasal verb is used to describe a situation of financial hardship or general struggle where a person or entity just manages to get by. It often carries a tone of resignation or difficulty.

Examples
  • After losing his job, he had to scrape along on his savings for several months.
  • Many families are scraping along on a single income in the current economy.
  • The small business managed to scrape along during the recession by cutting all unnecessary costs.
Advanced Usage
  • The phrase can sometimes be used more broadly to describe barely managing in a non-financial context, though this is less common.
    • With his limited English, he could just scrape along in the conversation.
Variants and Related Words
  • Scrape by (phrasal verb): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "scrape along."
    • They're just scraping by on what they earn.
  • Get by (phrasal verb): A more general term for managing to survive or cope, which may imply slightly less difficulty than "scrape along."
  • Eke out (phrasal verb): To make a small or limited supply of something last, often through careful management.
    • They eke out a living from the poor soil.
Synonyms
  • Struggle along
  • Make ends meet
  • Survive
  • Manage barely
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Scrape through: To barely succeed in passing a test or overcoming a difficult situation.
    • He scraped through the final exam with a grade of 61%.
  • Scrape together/up: To gather or collect something, especially money, with difficulty.
    • We need to scrape together enough cash for the rent.
Related Idioms
  • Live from hand to mouth: To spend all the money one earns on basic needs, with nothing left for savings or luxuries. This is a very close conceptual synonym for the financial aspect of "scrape along."
    • After the factory closed, many workers were living from hand to mouth.
scrape along

I scrape along on my small income by living very frugally.

Verb
  1. manage one's existence barely
    • I guess I can squeeze by on this lousy salary

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