shift for oneself

Idioms and Phrases

Also, fend for oneself . Provide for one's own needs, as in Don't worry about Anne; she's very good at shifting for herself , or The children had to fend for themselves after school . The first term, using shift in the now obsolete sense of “manage,” was first recorded about 1513; the variant, using fend for in the sense of “look after,” was first recorded in 1629.