концы с концами не сходятся

• КОНЦЫ С КОНЦАМИ НЕ СХОДЯТСЯ{{}}

[VPsubj; the verb may take the initial position, otherwise fixed WO]

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1. концы с концами не сходятся (у кого) coll. Also: КОНЦЫ С КОНЦАМИ едва (еле-еле и т. п.) СХОДЯТСЯ coll one can barely support himself (and his family) on the money he has, earns etc: у X-a концы с концами не сходятся ≈ X can barely make (has trouble making etc) ends meet; X can barely keep his head above water; X can barely keep body and soul together.

     ♦ Семья у нас большая, работает только муж, концы с концами не сходятся. We have a big family and only my husband works, so we have trouble making ends meet.

2. концы с концами не сходятся (в чём) there is a contradiction, a lack of necessary agreement between various aspects of some matter, lines of argumentation etc:

- it doesn't add up;

- there are a lot of loose ends;

- it doesn't (all) fit together;

- it's full of holes;

- [in refer, to a story] it doesn't hang together.

     ♦ Сначала он [Виктор] всё ожидал удара по затылку, прямо по желваку... а потом решил: вряд ли. Концы с концами не сходились (Стругацкие 1). At first he [Victor] kept on waiting for a blow on the back of his head, right on his lump, then he decided it was unlikely. It didn't fit together (1a).

     ♦ Он утверждает, что не виноват, но в его рассказах концы с концами не сходятся (Марченко 2). According to him, he was innocent, but his story did not hang together (2a).

3. the final results of a calculation (usu. of receipts and expenditures, debits and credits etc) are not what they should be, are not as expected:

- the accounts do not balance (out);

- it doesn't add up.