manage to stay alive with very little money
earn barely enough to keep you alive
just be able to pay for the basic necessities of life – food, clothing and a place to live
to survive or exist, especially in difficult circumstances
When he first came to the city, he earned barely enough to keep body and soul together.
John said he would not be able to keep body and soul together on the salary he was being offered by that company.
Artists and writers often do not earn enough to be able to keep body and soul together. They need a second job to sustain themselves.
With rising costs and dwindling income, she had to take up two jobs to keep body and soul together.
Those workers worked long hours in toxic conditions just to be able to keep body and soul together.
He did not earn enough from his job to keep body and soul together, so he took up a small side business in order to supplement his income.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.