ถูไถ
get by
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 get by、scrape by、make do
This word is commonly used to mean getting by or scraping through despite limited resources, poor quality, or an imperfect situation. It also has a more literal sense of rubbing or scraping against something.
get by、scrape by、make do
To manage to continue or make something work, even though the situation is not ideal or resources are limited.
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ก็ถูไถไปก่อน kɔ̂ɔ thǔu thǎy pay kɔ̀ɔn I’ll just get by for now. ก็ถูไถไปก่อน details
Learning notes
Explanation
ถูไถ carries the image of moving forward with friction rather than smoothly. In everyday speech, the figurative meaning is more important than the literal one: things are not ideal, but they can still be made to work. Useful patterns include ถูไถไปก่อน, meaning to get by for now, and พอถูไถไปได้, meaning it is just enough to manage.
Usage
It is often used when talking about money, work quality, study, business, or old tools and systems that are not in great condition but still function well enough to keep going.
Caution
This is not a compliment. Using it about someone else’s work can imply that the quality is poor but barely acceptable. In formal writing, expressions like ดำเนินต่อไปได้ or พอใช้ได้ are usually safer.
Differences from similar words
1 get by synonyms
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ถูๆ ไถๆ means almost the same as ถูไถ: to scrape by or make do. The repeated form sounds more colloquial and emphasizes muddling through rather than doing something smoothly.