How do you use "Skate by" in a sentence?

He skated by in high school with a C average and zero effort. You can't just skate by in this class — the professor notices everything. She's been skating by on her charm, but eventually she'll need real skills.

Skate by

American Slang Term American ★★★☆☆ Moderate informal

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Significado: To barely pass or get by with minimal effort, doing just enough to avoid failure.

用最少的努力勉强过关，只做刚好不至于失败的程度。

Aprobar por los pelos o ir tirando con el mínimo esfuerzo, haciendo justo lo necesario para no fracasar.

最小限の努力でギリギリ合格する、やっとやり過ごすこと。

최소한의 노력으로 간신히 통과하거나 넘어가는 것.

Skating by means gliding through without really trying — getting Cs when you could get As, doing the bare minimum at work, or getting through a situation on luck rather than effort. It implies laziness or a lack of ambition, though some people skate by quite strategically.

Skate by 意思是不怎么努力就滑过去了——能拿A却只拿C，在工作中只做最低限度，或者靠运气而非努力度过某个处境。这暗示懒惰或缺乏志向，不过有些人混日子其实混得很有策略。

Ir tirando significa pasar sin esforzarse realmente: sacar aprobados cuando podrías sacar sobresalientes, hacer lo mínimo en el trabajo o salir de una situación por suerte en vez de por esfuerzo. Implica pereza o falta de ambición, aunque algunas personas lo hacen de forma bastante estratégica.

「skate by」は本気を出さずにスイスイ通り抜けることだ——Aが取れるのにCで済ませる、職場で最低限しかしない、努力ではなく運で乗り切るといったことを指す。怠惰や向上心のなさを暗示するが、中には戦略的にうまくサボっている人もいる。

skate by는 진짜 노력하지 않고 스르르 지나가는 것을 의미한다 — A를 받을 수 있는데 C를 받거나, 직장에서 최소한만 하거나, 노력이 아닌 운으로 상황을 넘기는 것이다. 게으름이나 야망 부족을 암시하지만, 어떤 사람들은 꽤 전략적으로 대충 넘기기도 한다.

Ejemplos

He skated by in high school with a C average and zero effort.
他高中时零努力、平均成绩C，就这么混过来了。
Fue tirando en el instituto con una media de aprobado raspado y cero esfuerzo.
彼は高校を努力ゼロ、平均C評価でなんとかやり過ごした。
그는 고등학교를 노력 제로, 평균 C 학점으로 대충 넘겼다.
You can't just skate by in this class — the professor notices everything.
你在这门课上不能混日子——教授什么都看在眼里。
En esta clase no puedes ir tirando sin más: el profesor se fija en todo.
この授業ではサボって通り抜けることはできないよ——教授は全て見てるから。
이 수업에서는 대충 넘어갈 수 없어——교수님이 다 보고 계시거든.
She's been skating by on her charm, but eventually she'll need real skills.
她一直靠魅力混过来，但总有一天需要真本事。
Ella ha ido tirando a base de encanto, pero tarde o temprano necesitará habilidades reales.
彼女はずっと愛嬌だけでなんとかやってきたけど、いつかは本当のスキルが必要になるよ。
그녀는 지금까지 매력만으로 대충 넘겨왔지만, 언젠가는 진짜 실력이 필요할 거야.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: school, work, effort

Tono: critical, dismissive

✓ Correcto

You can't skate by forever.
你不可能永远这么混下去。
No puedes ir tirando para siempre.
いつまでもサボって通り抜けることはできないよ。
영원히 대충 넘길 수는 없어.
He's been skating by on natural talent alone.
他一直只靠天赋在混。
Ha ido tirando solo con su talento natural.
彼は生まれ持った才能だけでなんとかやっている。
그는 타고난 재능만으로 대충 넘기고 있어.

✗ Incorrecto

Don't confuse with 'skating on thin ice' — skating by means barely passing, not being in danger
不要和'skating on thin ice'（如履薄冰）搞混——skate by 是勉强过关的意思，不是身处危险
No confundir con 'skating on thin ice' (pisar terreno peligroso): skating by significa aprobar por los pelos, no estar en peligro
「skating on thin ice（薄氷の上を歩く）」と混同しないこと——skate byはギリギリ通過する意味で、危険な状態を指すのではない
'skating on thin ice'(위태로운 상황에 처하다)와 혼동하지 말 것——skate by는 간신히 통과한다는 뜻이지, 위험에 처해 있다는 뜻이 아니다

Origen e historia

American slang from the mid-20th century. The image of skating — gliding effortlessly on ice — captures the idea of moving through something smoothly without putting in real work.

Contexto cultural

Era: Mid-20th century

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

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