catch-as-catch-can

[ kach-uhz-kach-kan ]

adjective

1. Also catch-can. taking advantage of any opportunity; using any method that can be applied:

   He lived a catch-as-catch-can life as an itinerant handyman.

adverb

1. without specific plan or order:

   They traveled catch-as-catch-can, taking whatever bus or train was most convenient.

noun

1. a style of wrestling in which the contestants are permitted to trip, tackle, and use holds below the waist. Compare Greco-Roman ( def 3 ).

catch-as-catch-can

noun

1. a style of wrestling in which trips, holds below the waist, etc, are allowed

adjective

1. using any method or opportunity that comes to hand

catch-as-catch-can

1. A phrase that describes a situation in which people must improvise or do what they can with limited means: “We don't have enough textbooks for all of the students, so it'll be catch-as-catch-can.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of catch-as-catch-can¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Idioms and Phrases

By whatever means or in any way possible, as in There was no formal language program; one simply learned Spanish catch as catch can . This term, in slightly varying versions but with the same meaning, dates from the late 1300s.

Example Sentences

Anyhow, drawled the man from Catch-as-Catch-Can, she wont go no more.

From Project Gutenberg

Sam is a human firebrand, a dash of tabasco, a rough comedian and catch-as-catch-can joker.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a constantly changing battle, kaleidoscopic, free-for-all, catch-as-catch-can.

From Project Gutenberg

The supply of grape juice seems almost unlimited, yet coal is to be had catch-as-catch-can.

From Project Gutenberg

It was catch-as-catch-can in the darkness, and mostly the other fellow could and did.

From Project Gutenberg