| 词组 | eke |
| 释义 | eke Evans 1957, Bernstein 1977, Bryson 1984, and Barzun 1985 all say that a supply can be eked out, or made to last, "either by adding to it or by consuming it frugally" (Bryson). Fowler 1926 and Phythian 1979 are more restrictive, saying that eke out means only "to make something, by adding to it, go further or last longer or do more than it would without such addition" (Fowler). The commentators' approval, such as it is, of the use of eke out is derived from the verb ekë% archaic meaning "to increase or lengthen" and from the noun eke"s meaning "an addition or extension." What these commentators are unanimous in objecting to is the use of eke out in "they managed to eke out a living." This sense, "to get with great difficulty," which is sometimes expressed simply by eke without the out, has been the predominant sense since the 1950s. For the thirty years before that it was a fairly close runner-up to the older sense in frequency of use. Continuing back through time, we find this sense attested in the first half of the 18th century. It has continued in use since then with increasing frequency: • Some runaway slaves... contrived to eke out a subsistence —Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle, 1845 (OED) • ... eked out a subsistence upon the modest sum his pen procured him —George Meredith, Diana of the Crossways, 1885 • ... eked out a livelihood as village schoolmaster — Dictionary of American Biography, 1929 • ... to eke a living from eroded or starved land — American Guide Series: Virginia, 1941 • ... using obsolete equipment and backbreaking labor to eke out small hauls from old veins [of coal] — Time, 20 Aug. 1956 • ... eking out a torpid but endurable existence — Richard Freedman, Washington Post, 26 Sept. 1971 • ... to witness the Celtics eke out a thrilling overtime victory —Jonathan Evan Maslow, Saturday Rev., 21 Jan. 1978 • ... eked out just 18% of the vote —Deborah A. Randolph, Wall Street Jour., 27 Aug. 1980 So although someone may criticize you for saying that you're eking out a living, you should be well protected by the knowledge that it falls well within standard English usage. |
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