Keep one’s head above water字面解释是“把头维持在水面上”，这是什么意思呢？请看对话：

    A: How is your company doing?

    B: The business is in trouble, but we are just about keeping our heads above water.

    Note: It means to “avoid failure or sinking in the struggles of life.” The phrase is an analogy to swimming, especially if you visualize a person who has just learned to swim. Here it means to just be able to manage, especially when you have financial difficulties. It can also mean to keep up with one’s work. For example: I can’t take on any more. We have so many orders that we can hardly keep our heads above water. I have to work 10 hours a day to keep my head above water.