squeak by

[/skwiːk baɪ/]

phrasal verb

passar por pouco

1. to succeed or pass with difficulty, narrowly avoiding failure

He squeaked by on the exam with a passing grade.

Ele passou por pouco no exame com uma nota mínima de aprovação.

2. to manage or get through a difficult situation with barely enough resources

The family squeaked by on a tight budget.

A família conseguiu se virar com um orçamento apertado.

NYC Slang

barely make it; slide by

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

passar por pouco; se virar; escapar por pouco

commonly used in casual speech

Rio de Janeiro

dar um jeito; passar raspando

more colloquial usage

São Paulo

passar apertado; se virar nos trinta

idiomatic expression common in urban areas

Portugal

desenrascar-se; sair do aperto

European Portuguese preference

by the skin of one's teeth

make it by a hair's breadth

get away with

scrape through

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