Rationing during and after World War II gave rise to the make do and mend ethos that saw many people exercise their ingenuity to feed and clothe themselves.

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So it is alarming that the whole Afghan operation has a make-do-and-mend feel to it.

ECONOMIST: Anxious times for the under-manned Western forces

It has adopted a policy of make-do-and-mend rather than investing in new rails and signals.

ECONOMIST: Mending Britain��s rotten railways

The newish Archbishop of Canterbury has strayed into unusual territory for such a senior prelate, which is to make some proposals to mend the banking system and British economy.

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To make basic what already is, failure signals an economy on the mend simply because the bad business ideas, investments and labor misuses are cleansed from the economy.

FORBES: "Necessary" Bank Bailouts Harm the Economy, Wreck the Banks