Meaning
Barely scraping by with slim hope, relying on luck.
Origin
From 20th-century America, tied to WWII; pilot Harold Adamson's 1942 song 'Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer' for a shot-up plane, slang by 1943. A 1940s film cemented it.
Variants
- On wing prayer
- Wing and prayer
Usage Examples
- We're on a wing and a prayer with this budget.
- He passed on a wing and a prayer; no prep!
- On a wing and a prayer, they fixed the leak.