К-259

КОНЦЫ С КОНЦАМИ HE СХОДЯТСЯ ( VP subj. the verb may take the initial position, otherwise fixed WO

1. \К-259 (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. - (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.