호구지책이 · 호구지책을
a way to make a bare living, means of subsistence
Example
젊은 시절 그는 호구지책으로 공사장에서 막노동을 했어요.
When he was young, he did construction labor just to make ends meet.
Word parts
호 paste+구 mouth+지 of+책 plan
Literally 'a plan to paste the mouth' — just enough to keep from starving.
Good to know
Don't confuse it with 호구 'pushover' — a different, unrelated slang word.
Related words