eke something out
phrasal verb with eke verb uk/iːk/ us/iːk/
精打细算地维持；尽量节约使用
to use something slowly or carefully because you only have a small amount of it
There wasn't much food left, but we just managed to eke it out. 剩下的食物不多，但是我们省吃少餐设法挺了过来。
He managed to eke out a living (= earn just enough to live on) one summer by selling drinks on a beach. 他靠在海滩上卖饮料设法维持了一个夏天。