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- tide over
tide over
tide someone over (until something)
to supply someone until a certain time or until something happens. Will this amount tide us over until next week? There is enough food here to tide over the entire camp until next month. Yes, this will tide us over.
tide somebody over
also tide over somebody to supply someone with something they need for a short period We were lucky and got a small loan to tide us over until our customers began to pay us. They're seeking food aid to tide over the starving population until the next harvest.
tide over
Support through a difficult period, as in I asked my brother for $100 to tide me over until payday. This expression alludes to the way the tide carries something. [Early 1800s]
tide over
v. To sustain or support someone or something through a period of deficiency or absence: A $100 loan would tide me over till payday.