Hi, I'm new to the forum and would like to ask about the phrase "catch as catch can".  I think it means something along the lines of just making due and finding odd jobs as they come but I'm really not sure.  Does anyone know the origin of this phrase.

On a side note is anyone familiar with "catch as catch can" wrestling?  It was performed at circuses in which wrestlers would roll around in search for a "submission" hold.  At first it was just pins and a game that local strong men would play with circus folk.  After local strong man began betting on their matches and cheating "claiming they were not pinned, grabbing the eyes, etc", the circus evented the "catch as catch can style" so their was no dispute of who won(the loser was forced to cry "uncle").  I figure this is the origin of the slang "uncle" when someone uses it as a term for giving up and I also am curious to whether it was the origin behind this phrase (which came first the wrestling or the phrase). 

If anyone wants more info on the style of wrestling you can look it up as "catch wrestling" the shortened version is what it is usually referred to.  There are very,very few catch wrestlers still practicing today and most of whom utililize the style in MMA (mixed martial arts) competitons (very few MMA fighters are catch wrestlers).