just manage to succeed

[/dʒʌst ˈmænɪdʒ tu səkˈsid/]

verb phrase

conseguir mal e mal; mal conseguir sucesso

1. To succeed with difficulty or by a narrow margin; to accomplish something barely or narrowly

She just managed to succeed in passing the exam despite studying very little.

Ela conseguiu mal e mal passar no exame apesar de estudar muito pouco.

2. To achieve a goal with minimal resources, time, or effort available

The team just managed to succeed in winning the match in the last minute.

O time conseguiu mal e mal vencer a partida no último minuto.

NYC Slang

pull it off by a hair; make it by the skin of your teeth

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

conseguir mal e mal; dar um jeito

Common colloquial usage in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

Rio de Janeiro

dar um jogo de cintura

Regional idiom emphasizing narrow success through cleverness

São Paulo

conseguir no sufoco

Informal expression meaning to barely manage

Portugal

conseguir com dificuldade; safar-se

Portuguese usage emphasizing narrow escape or difficult achievement

by the skin of one's teeth

close call

narrow escape

edge it out

hang on by a thread

just under the wire

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