barely make it

[ˈbɛrli meɪk ɪt]

verb phrase

mal conseguir; conseguir por pouco; quase não conseguir

1. To succeed in doing something with great difficulty, by a very small margin, or just in time

She barely made it to the meeting on time.

Ela mal conseguiu chegar à reunião no horário.

2. To survive or manage with minimal resources or effort

They barely make it from paycheck to paycheck.

Eles mal conseguem se manter de um salário para outro.

3. To achieve a passing grade or minimum acceptable result

He barely made it through the exam with a passing grade.

Ele mal conseguiu passar no exame.

NYC Slang

just squeaked by

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

mal conseguir; conseguir por pouco

Most common usage across Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

mal conseguir; dar um jeito

Often used colloquially with 'dar um jeito'

São Paulo

mal conseguir; por pouco

Formal and informal contexts

Portugal

mal conseguir; conseguir por milagre; quase não conseguir

Portuguese Portuguese often uses 'por milagre' for emphasis

by the skin of one's teeth

under the wire

make ends meet

scrape the bottom of the barrel

close call

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