by one's wits

by (one's) wits

Through one's intellect and resourcefulness. When I lost everything, I had to live by my wits, and it made me a stronger, more savvy person. A failed politician is one who can't live by his wits. A: "I can't believe our kindly neighbor, a nobody, made this revolutionary medical device by his wits!" B: "Well, he has lived his whole life with chronic pain—he knows what would make his life, and others' lives, easier."

See also: by, wit

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

by one's wits

see live by one's wits.

See also: by, wit

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.