live by one's wits

Manage by clever expedience rather than hard work or wealth. For example, Alan's never held a steady job but manages to live by his wits. This expression uses wits in the sense of "keen mental faculties." [c. 1600]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Arianne	a-ree-AHN	French
Margrete	-	Norwegian
Regina	rə-JEEN-ə (English), rə-GEEN-ə (English), rə-JIEN-ə (English), re-GEE-nah (German, Polish), re-JEE-nah (Italian), RE-gee-naw (Hungarian)	English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Swedish, Norweg
Ashworth	['æʃwɜ:θ]
Sanderson	['sændəsn]
MÅRten	MOR-ten	Swedish