What's the meaning of the phrasal verb "gets you by" in the following context?
My father was a painter so I was encouraged to take a sketchbook
everywhere. Cameras are perishable but I still have tonnes of
sketchbooks from all the trips I've ever been on. It gets you by when
you don't know what to give people as a gift; drawings are good
souvenirs.
Best Answer
I haven't heard this phrase used like this, but the context makes the meaning clear to me. The drawings happen to be useful because they can be used as a gift if you don't have any other ideas.
"It gets you by" has a normal usage similar to, "an acceptable, but not exceptional result" - You've encountered an obstacle or challenge, and you were able to move past it, but not in any particular exceptional way.
So, in this context, the drawings become useful in the case where your challenge is trying to find someone a gift. Again, it's kind of an unusual usage of the phrase.