I thought this would be a good expression as a companion to the review of a book about Joe McCarthy I’ve begun posting on that link. (Part I and Part II have been posted, and III will be up in about a week.) Joe left a safe world to volunteer in the Army Air Corp in World War II, and was assigned to be a tail gunner in the Pacific. The phrase originated from a patriotic song written in 1943 about a damaged warplane miraculously making it back to base. The song starts out by describing the plane as missing, and in the second chorus:

“Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer, Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer, Though there’s one motor gone, We can still carry on, Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.”

The expression continues use to describe succeeding despite poor conditions or shortage of resources.