to stay above water
1
5.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
mantenerse a flote
- During tough times, many families must find ways to stay above water and manage their expenses.
- struggling to stay above water
Examples
-
Brian helps him stay above water.
Fiction book (1991) -
Women will earn less, minimum wage will be tossed out, so working people will have to double down to stay above water.
Blog text (11) -
- The church was barely staying above water financially.
-
To stay above water in this currently crummy economy, cruise lines are being forced to make it as easy for consumers as possible to take a cruise.
Blog text (10) -
To stay above water in her job, she took on extra shifts to cover her bills.
-
It is challenging to stay above water financially when unexpected expenses arise.
Synonyms
425
2.7
Manage to live on very little money
16
4.1
Keep operating when money is low
8
4.7
To avoid serious money problems during hard times
1
4.1
Manage to avoid money problems and pay bills
To manage to survive when you have money problems
To have enough money to keep going and avoid failure
Antonyms
How Well
241
3.2
88
3.7
- Informal
1
5.1
121
3.1
10
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'stay' + 'above' + 'water' easily yield an image of remaining above water (not sinking), which naturally extends to the metaphor of 'not being overwhelmed' or 'managing to survive'. However, the specific conventionalized usage for financial or practical coping is a metaphorical extension that may not be fully predictable or limited in scope for a B1 learner without some exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The idiom stay above water gives the image of someone keeping their head or body above water so they do not drown. That's why it means 'to manage to survive', often when talking about money or hard times.