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
Maurene	maw-REEN, MAWR-een	English (Rare)
Vecheslav	-	Medieval Slavic
Byrne	BURN	English (Rare)
Ba'al	BAY-əl (English), BAYL (English)	Near Eastern Mythology
Shamsuddin	-	Arabic
Andris	-	Latvian, Hungarian