idle *
tick over

A small trainer like me has a job to tick over, let alone make a living, but he always comes to the rescue.

Although I will pop into the gym for half an hour every morning, just to keep things ticking over.

No taxes to pay, cash coming in to keep us ticking over.

But something had begun to tick over in my mind.

I put a few quid in the new account and let it tick over.

The universe had nearly stopped, waiting for that ultimate second to tick over.

There was something strange about this, and suddenly it ticked over in his mind.

Just about enough pressure to keep the paddles ticking over.

My husband earns about £29,500 a year, and we're ticking over.

Senior staff are not striking, so will keep the machinery of government ticking over.