You searched for: “eked out
eke (EEK) out (verb), ekes out; eked out; eking out
1. To supplement; to supply by some means, whatever is lacking; to piece out; and also, to make a living with difficulty: The driver eked out the last bit of speed from his racing car.

This family tries to eke out a living by selling wood carvings.

2. Etymology: from Old English ecan, "to increase".
This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group E (page 1)