make ends meet
使收支平衡
这里的ends是复数，因为一端是「收入」，一端是「支 出」。make ends meet就是让这两端（ends)碰在一起 (meet)，意思是「让收入与支出能相当」，不致入不敷出。
Those unable to get jobs elsewhere sometimes return as part-time workers to their former employers，where they offer their know-how for substantially less than they had earned before ?…The practice is especially prevalent among older workers who have been forced into early retirement but still must work to make ends meet (出自:TIME, Jul. 20,1992, p. 64)
没办法在别处找到工作的人，有时会回到原来的公司兼职，贡献 他们的技能，赚的钱却比从前少得多。这种作法尤其常见于年纪 较大、被迫提早退休，却又必须工作才能平衡收支的人。