Eke out means make a small supply last longer: they eked out the remaining fuel until the boat arrived. Eke out a living means earn just enough to get by. Eke out a win means win by the smallest margin. In every case, there's barely enough. Eke rhymes with week.
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eke out supplies; eke something out; eke out a living / a win
- They eked out the remaining fuel until the supply boat arrived.
- He ekes out a living repairing old bicycles.
- The team eked out a narrow win in the final minute.
What changed
First versionWe had very little fuel, so we eked out it carefully.
RevisionWe had very little fuel, so we eked it out carefully.
Most verbs take the object right after them, so eked out it looks logical. But with a phrasal verb, a pronoun goes between the two parts: eked it out. A noun can go in either place: eked out the fuel or eked the fuel out.
Earn a living is neutral. Eke out a living means barely making ends meet: he ekes out a living repairing old bicycles. It's the same with winning: win is just win, eke out a win means win at the very last moment.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun position: The rice had to last all week, so we ___.
Show the answer
eked it out — The pronoun it goes between eked and out. Eked out it sounds wrong.
Describe a time you had to make your last money, food or phone battery last.
We eked out the last battery charge by switching the phone off between calls.
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