From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsomebody can ill afford (to do) somethingsomebody can ill afford (to do) somethingHARM/BE BAD FORto be unable to do or have something without making the situation you are in very difficult I was losing weight which I could ill afford to lose. Most gamblers can ill afford their habit. → ill
Examples from the Corpus
somebody can ill afford (to do) something• Often it is something they can ill afford.• Surely it would be a drain on Party resources that it can ill afford.• The senator can ill afford another scandal.• If land is not suitable for efficient farming, we can ill afford it being used for inefficient agriculture.• There may be no alternative to leave of absence, even though the nurse can ill afford the loss of income.• Many of them are in fact very poor and can ill afford their habit.• Sotheby's can ill afford to have its auction prices called into question.• Yet it is an area which practitioners can ill afford to ignore.• It does not make sense to squander important resources that the nation can ill afford to lose. 