noun
living from hand to mouth; barely getting by
Describes a precarious financial situation where one barely manages to survive day by day, often with just enough food or money. The term literally suggests 'staving off the mouth'.
失業してからは、ずっと口凌ぎの生活だ。
Ever since I lost my job, I've been living from hand to mouth.
そのわずかな収入では、口凌ぎにもならない。
With that meager income, I can't even keep body and soul together.
Similar meaning of living day-to-day, but その日暮らし emphasizes a lifestyle without savings, while 口凌ぎ focuses on barely staving off hunger or immediate needs.
Compound of 口 (mouth) and 凌ぎ (staving off, enduring), literally 'staving off the mouth', i.e., barely keeping hunger at bay.