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'.
Ever since I lost my job, I've been living from hand to mouth.
With that meager income, I can't even keep body and soul together.
Standard kanji spelling.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling, also used.
Compound of 口 (mouth) and 凌ぎ (staving off, enduring), literally 'staving off the mouth', i.e., barely keeping hunger at bay.