Eking

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

[b***@shaw.ca]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

In the English I read and hear, "eke" is almost non-existent. I know it
in the context of "eking out a living", but I think it is becoming
old-fashioned and I don't remember when I last heard it. I think that
might mean there is no longer a standard usage.

bill

[Quinn C]

Post by b***@shaw.ca

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

In the English I read and hear, "eke" is almost non-existent. I know it
in the context of "eking out a living", but I think it is becoming
old-fashioned and I don't remember when I last heard it. I think that
might mean there is no longer a standard usage.

I feel I hear "eke out" so regularly - and not only with "living" as
object - that it doesn't seem on the verge of oblivion, but not any
other uses of "eke".

Absent context, I first interpreted the subject line as "E-King".

[John Varela]

On Wed, 6 Nov 2019 18:07:42 UTC, Quinn C

Post by Quinn C

Post by b***@shaw.ca

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

In the English I read and hear, "eke" is almost non-existent. I know it
in the context of "eking out a living", but I think it is becoming
old-fashioned and I don't remember when I last heard it. I think that
might mean there is no longer a standard usage.

I feel I hear "eke out" so regularly - and not only with "living" as
object - that it doesn't seem on the verge of oblivion, but not any
other uses of "eke".

It being a three-letter word with two e's, it appears often enough
in crossword puzzles, along with wee, tee, lee, etc.

Post by Quinn C
Absent context, I first interpreted the subject line as "E-King".

[Ken Blake]

Post by John Varela
On Wed, 6 Nov 2019 18:07:42 UTC, Quinn C

Post by Quinn C

Post by b***@shaw.ca

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

In the English I read and hear, "eke" is almost non-existent. I know it
in the context of "eking out a living", but I think it is becoming
old-fashioned and I don't remember when I last heard it. I think that
might mean there is no longer a standard usage.

I feel I hear "eke out" so regularly - and not only with "living" as
object - that it doesn't seem on the verge of oblivion, but not any
other uses of "eke".

It being a three-letter word with two e's, it appears often enough
in crossword puzzles, along with wee, tee, lee, etc.

Yes, and that's almost the only place I ever see it these days.

[occam]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

"Ekeing out a living" is familiar to me. "Eking ahead" is not, but the
meaning is clear, therefore bound to be acceptable? (Eeek!)

[Paul Carmichael]

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

"Ekeing out a living" is familiar to me. "Eking ahead" is not, but the
meaning is clear, therefore bound to be acceptable? (Eeek!)

OED:

a. transitive. To increase, add to, lengthen. Also absol. neither to eke nor to pair
(Scottish): neither to add to nor take from. Proverb, every (also a) little ekes. archaic
or dialect.

3. to eke out:
a. to supplement, supply the deficiencies of anything (const. with); esp. to make
(resources, materials, articles of consumption, etc.) last the required time by additions,
by partial use of a substitute, or by economy.

I don't think "eking ahead" could be considered transitive use.

[occam]

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

"Ekeing out a living" is familiar to me. "Eking ahead" is not, but the
meaning is clear, therefore bound to be acceptable? (Eeek!)

 a. transitive. To increase, add to, lengthen. Also absol. neither to
eke nor to pair (Scottish): neither to add to nor take from. Proverb,
every (also a) little ekes. archaic or dialect.
 a. to supplement, supply the deficiencies of anything (const. with);
esp. to make (resources, materials, articles of consumption, etc.) last
the required time by additions, by partial use of a substitute, or by
economy.
I don't think "eking ahead" could be considered transitive use.

I agree that 'rules is rules'. However if the phrase gains traction,
there will be no way of stopping it - transitive use or not. Simples.

[Kerr-Mudd,John]

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy

Beshear declared

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

"Ekeing out a living" is familiar to me. "Eking ahead" is not, but the
meaning is clear, therefore bound to be acceptable? (Eeek!)

A mouse might eek out a living. Doing so eekonomically. On the internet
no-one knows you're a cartoonn character, so maybe using eekommerce?

[occam]

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy

Beshear declared

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it,

but

Post by occam

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

"Ekeing out a living" is familiar to me. "Eking ahead" is not, but the
meaning is clear, therefore bound to be acceptable? (Eeek!)

A mouse might eek out a living. Doing so eekonomically. On the internet
no-one knows you're a cartoonn character, so maybe using eekommerce?

Eekologically minded eekonomists might disagree that eeking out a living
is an acceptable way for humans to eke ahead on this planet.

[Peter Moylan]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear
declared victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to
concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it,
but never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

My immediate reaction was to think this was about an Eekah. Eekahs are a
science-fictional variety of evolved ape, who appeared on the scene long
after humans died out.

[Richard Heathfield]

Post by Peter Moylan

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear
declared victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to
concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it,
but never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

My immediate reaction was to think this was about an Eekah. Eekahs are a
science-fictional variety of evolved ape, who appeared on the scene long
after humans died out.

They appear in "No Connection" by Isaac Asimov (1948).

See also "eke-ology", in one of Frank Muir's "My Word" monologues.

[Peter Moylan]

Post by Richard Heathfield

Post by Peter Moylan

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear
declared victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to
concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said
it, but never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

My immediate reaction was to think this was about an Eekah. Eekahs
are a science-fictional variety of evolved ape, who appeared on the
scene long after humans died out.

They appear in "No Connection" by Isaac Asimov (1948).

A vaguely similar theme can be found in the short story "There's a wolf
in my time machine", by Larry Niven. (Collected in the book "The Flight
of the Horse".) I've forgotten what the human-like species is called in
that story.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

No, but an obvious derivation from the (mis)interpretation that "eke (out)"
means not 'supplement' but 'barely succeed'.

[Joseph C. Fineman]

Post by Peter T. Daniels

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

No, but an obvious derivation from the (mis)interpretation that "eke (out)"
means not 'supplement' but 'barely succeed'.

Alas, that (mis)interpretation is the only one I have heard or seen in
recent times. I believe it started with a misunderstanding of such
sentences as "He eked out his meager pension by occasional tutoring"
(i.e., the tutoring fees supplemented the pension).

[Peter T. Daniels]

Post by Joseph C. Fineman

Post by Peter T. Daniels

Post by Athel Cornish-Bowden

Eking ahead of Republican incumbent Matt Bevin, Andy Beshear declared
victory the gubernatorial race. But Bevin has yet to concede.

I've come across "eke out", though I don't think I've ever said it, but
never "eking". Is that a standard usage?

No, but an obvious derivation from the (mis)interpretation that "eke
(out)" means not 'supplement' but 'barely succeed'.

Alas, that (mis)interpretation is the only one I have heard or seen in
recent times. I believe it started with a misunderstanding of such
sentences as "He eked out his meager pension by occasional tutoring"
(i.e., the tutoring fees supplemented the pension).

EKE is a favorite crossword word, and I put an X on the clue every time
it's wrongly clued, and a checkmark every time it's "correctly" clued.