eke out
v 1: supplement what is thought to be deficient; "He eked out his
meager pay by giving private lessons"; "Braque eked out
his collages with charcoal" [syn: {fill out}]
2: live from day to day, as with some hardship: "He eked out
his years in great poverty"
3: make by laborious and precarious means; "He eked out a
living as a painter" [syn: {squeeze out}]
4: obtain with difficulty: "He eked out some information from
the archives" [syn: {squeeze out}]