catch-as-catch-can
adjective
: using any available means or method : hit-or-miss
a catch-as-catch-can system that relies on borrowed judges—
Patricia Nealon
Patricia NealonExamples of catch-as-catch-can in a Sentence
we're always having drop-in guests at our beachfront cottage, and sleeping arrangements tend to be catch-as-catch-can
Recent Examples on the Web
Prison is a kind of black-comedic version of a factory: in contrast to the catch-as-catch-can prisons of preindustrial times, everyone is assigned a role and compelled to conformity through regimentation or isolation.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
The old days of barnstorming teams playing catch-as-catch-can schedules was no longer an acceptable business model.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024
Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Their thorny flawed catch-as-catch-can humanity now stands in stark contrast to the majority of movies that have been spun off from comic books over the last 40 years.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2023
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Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
The old days of barnstorming teams playing catch-as-catch-can schedules was no longer an acceptable business model.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024
Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Their thorny flawed catch-as-catch-can humanity now stands in stark contrast to the majority of movies that have been spun off from comic books over the last 40 years.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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