Г-393

С ГРЕХОМ ПОПОЛАМ coll AdvP Invar adv fixed WO

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.