shift for (oneself)

shift for (oneself)

To do things for oneself; to not rely on the help or patronage of someone else. It's no wonder that kids these days can't hold down meaningful jobs, when they're pampered from birth and can't shift for themselves by the time they leave school. You're going to have to learn to shift for yourself before you head off to college.

See also: for, shift

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

shift for oneself

 and fend for oneself

to get along by oneself; to support oneself. I'm sorry, I can't pay your rent anymore. You'll just have to shift for yourself. When I became twenty years old, I left home and began to fend for myself.

See also: for, shift

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

shift for oneself

Also, fend for oneself. Provide for one's own needs, as in Don't worry about Anne; she's very good at shifting for herself, or The children had to fend for themselves after school. The first term, using shift in the now obsolete sense of "manage," was first recorded about 1513; the variant, using fend for in the sense of "look after," was first recorded in 1629.

See also: for, shift

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.

shift for yourself

manage as best you can without help.

See also: for, shift

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

shift for

v.

To provide for, take care of, or defend oneself without assistance. Used reflexively: The teenagers went camping, confident that they could shift for themselves.

See also: for, shift

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.