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.

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

Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business.

From New York Times

The catch-as-catch-can “system” of aftercare for school children is a disaster.

From Seattle Times

Others had to be a bit more catch-as-catch-can.

From Seattle Times

Small brooches, equally popular, are being worn in inventive catch-as-catch-can, high-end-to-low-end D.I.Y. clusters.

From New York Times

For now, it’s a more improvised affair, with different students coming on at different times on a somewhat catch-as-catch-can basis, learning both at the farm and the restaurant.

From Washington Times