с горем пополам

• С ГРЕХОМ ПОПОЛАМ coU

[AdvP; Invar; adv; fixed WO]

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1. Also: С ГОРЕМ ПОПОЛАМ coll with difficulty and almost not succeeding: (just) barely; (just) barely manage (to do sth.); just scrape through (sth.); [in limited contexts]

⇒ by the skin of one's teeth; [of one's ability to do sth.] after a fashion.

     ♦ Антифашистский роман, в центре - интересный образ эсэсовца. Написанный в той субъективной манере, которая уже протискивалась, хотя и с грехом пополам, в узкие щели наших издательств и журналов (Орлова 1). It was an antifascist novel with a very powerful portrait of an SS officer, written in that subjective fashion that just barely allowed it to squeeze through the narrow cracks of our publishing houses and journals (1a).

     ♦ [Сарафанов:] У меня было звание капитана, меня оставляли в армии. С грехом пополам я демобилизовался (Вампилов 4). [S.:] I was a captain in the army and they wanted me to stay. I just barely managed to get a discharge (4b).

     ♦ "Ты говоришь по-испански?" - "С грехом пополам". "Do you speak Spanish?" "After a fashion."

2. obs through deception, trickery:

- in an underhand(ed) way;

- by dishonest means.