To skate by

[Chicken Sandwich]

Remarkable. I'm just realizing how much Leonard's been skating by all these years.

Oddly enough, I couldn't find the meaning of this phrasal verbs. I do understand what it means from the context.

Is this just a variation of:

skate over/around something phrasal verb
to avoid mentioning a problem or subject, or not give it enough attention : The President was accused of skating over the issue of the homeless.

?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bhaisahab]

Oddly enough, I couldn't find the meaning of this phrasal verbs. I do understand what it means from the context.

Is this just a variation of:

Thanks in advance.

"skate by" is not a phrasal verb.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

Well, that makes sense because I couldn't find it in McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

Just to make sure: to skate by means in this context "to not do something"? So If I'm skating by, I might not be doing the laundry for years even though I should have.

Thanks again.

 

[5jj]

}[/I]Just to make sure: to skate by means in this context "to not do something"? So If I'm skating by, I might not be doing the laundry for years even though I should have.

Without more context, we cannot really be sure what 'skate by' is supposed to mean.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

It's from a tv-show, The Big Bang Theory.

Comic Highlight: Oblivious and arrogant Sheldon is usually fun. When Raj moves in Sheldon informs him that he is to now buy all the take out food. Raj prepares a beautiful looking Thai meal complete with individual dishes and candles in an attempt to impress his new roommate. Sheldon comments that "I'm just realising how much Leonard has been skating by all these years." It's such an outrageous remark that it makes me smile to write it. Penny later comments that Leonard moving in with Priya is big news to which Sheldon disagrees: "No, origami napkin swans. That's the headline!"

 

[riquecohen]

It's from a tv-show, The Big Bang Theory.

Comic Highlight: Oblivious and arrogant Sheldon is usually fun. When Raj moves in Sheldon informs him that he is to now buy all the take out food. Raj prepares a beautiful looking Thai meal complete with individual dishes and candles in an attempt to impress his new roommate. Sheldon comments that "I'm just realising how much Leonard has been skating by all these years." It's such an outrageous remark that it makes me smile to write it. Penny later comments that Leonard moving in with Priya is big news to which Sheldon disagrees: "No, origami napkin swans. That's the headline!"

While I've never heard this phrase, I would surmise that in this context it means "to make do." Look here. Definition of make do from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus