Scrape (by) (3)
I believe the answer is:
eke
'scrape by' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for eke that I've seen before include "Make a living laboriously - a palindrome" , "long ago" , "Make a laborious living" , "addition to Scots" , "To -- something out is to make it go further" .)