Possible Clues:

• Scratches by (with "out")
• ___ out (manages, barely)
• __ out a living (just manages)
• Scratches (out), as a living
• ___ out a victory
• Lives from hand-to-mouth (with "out")
• Squeezes (by), as to the next round of a tournament
• Barely makes do, with "out"
• __ out a victory (wins barely)
• Barely makes, with ''out''