

The book is now recognized as one of the best satirical novels in American literature. “Catch-22” is a classic American novel by Joseph Heller. If a family is struggling to stay afloat, there is a real danger they might lose their house or be forced into bankruptcy. If a business is struggling to stay afloat, there is a real danger that the business might have to shut down or go bankrupt. When you’re struggling to stay afloat, there is a real possibility that you might not make it. It’s not the same as “ stretched thin ,” for example. Trying to “stay afloat” or struggling to “stay afloat” is not the same as just going through hard times.

That means the person had to work more than one job just to meet the needs of her family. One article I saw said this: a person was juggling multiple jobs just to stay afloat. But as I mentioned earlier, you can also use this to describe a person or a family’s finances. I scanned Google News for examples of “stay afloat” and most of them related to businesses.

They were able to stay afloat-to keep from closing-only by doing those things. But many restaurants were only able to stay afloat by simplifying their menus, switching to delivery-only, and relying on short-term loans. Sadly, not every restaurant was able to stay afloat. Others switched to a take-out or delivery-only model. What did restaurants do to stay afloat? Some of them opened elaborate outdoor patios to serve customers outside. That may have been necessary to stay afloat during the worst of the pandemic, but nobody knew that travel would come roaring back and that rental car agencies would be desperate for cars less than a year later. So, they had to sell a lot of cars just to stay afloat. They couldn’t afford to keep all those assets sitting idle as their bills piled up. That means, they had to sell a lot of their cars just to stay in business. So, they sold off large parts of their fleets just to stay afloat. With almost nobody renting cars and high fixed expenses, rental car agencies were in trouble. But one type of business in the travel sector got no such help: the rental car agencies. Hotels furloughed their staff and delayed payments on their mortgages.

Governments gave airlines loans so the airlines could stay alive. A business that is struggling to stay afloat is not in danger of sinking into the ocean, but of going bankrupt or simply having to shut its doors.ĭuring the pandemic, travel ground to a halt. That’s the image I want you to have in your mind as we talk about “stay afloat” in a business or personal finance setting. You’re trying to keep the boat “afloat,” above the surface of the water so the boat doesn’t sink. Your job is to keep the boat above the surface of the water until help arrives. When you think about this expression, I want you to think about a damaged boat out on the ocean. “Afloat” simply means, floating in the water, staying above the surface of the water. We use “stay afloat” when we’re talking about a business struggling to survive, or a person is struggling to keep their finances in order. Today’s English expression is to “stay afloat.” This has one very specific use.
