だけましだAt least, It's better than..., One should feel grateful for

だけましだ is a set phrase indicating that 'at least (A)', or that 'one should feel grateful for (A)'. This expression is often used in cases where the overall situation is negative, but it is still better than the alternative. This structure is a combination of the particle だけ 'only', and the な-Adjective 増(ま)し, meaning 'better', or 'preferable'. Originally, まし is just the conjunctive form of 増(ま)す, an う-Verb meaning to grow or increase (like 増(ふ)える). Due to this, the literal meaning is 'even just (A) is a plus, compared to what could have occured'.

だけましだ will be used primarily after verbs, い-Adjectives, or な-Adjectives followed by な.

In the vast majority of cases, まし will simply be written in hiragana, or even katakana as マシ. The katakana version often further emphasizes that one should be grateful for (A).

Caution - Although not as common, だけまだましだ may also be seen. As can be seen by the addition of まだ 'still', this form merely emphasized the point even further.