edge of the abyss
1
8.5
- noun
:
al borde del abismo
- As an exercise, try taking your series' main characters and standing them at the edge of the abyss, face to face with the ultimate power of evil, the devil, if you like.
Examples
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One thing you clearly don't understand about American history is that our pattern is to skate right up to the edge of the abyss, peek over into it, and then make a 180-degree turn and fix the problem.
Blog text (23) -
All the signs are for a full-blown war to erupt, and I find myself on the edge of the abyss again.
Blog text (9) -
At some point, he stood on the edge of the abyss.
Blog text (27) -
I didn't see anything anymore except an unfulfilled destiny at the edge of the abyss.
Fiction book (1998) -
You stand at the edge of the abyss and see the neighboring town, across the way, on the side of the hill that towers before your eyes, rising amid low clouds and lofty mists: you can make out the comings and goings of its people, their vocations, their destinies.
Fiction book (1994) -
The country was on the edge of the abyss, with political tensions rising and economic stability in jeopardy.
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As the storm approached, the coastal town found itself on the edge of the abyss, fearing devastating floods and destruction.
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After years of neglect, the environment was on the edge of the abyss, with many species facing extinction.
Synonyms
127
5.7
A point when an important or dangerous change is about to happen
4
4.3
A situation very likely to cause serious trouble
1
7.8
A situation that could easily end well or badly
A marked or imaginary line that shows where it is dangerous to go
Antonyms
How Dangerous
1
4.9
18
5.5
1
8.5
44
2.9
47
7.6
9
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'edge' (boundary/brink) with 'abyss' (a deep void): being at the edge of a chasm maps transparently onto being at a critical or dangerous point. This brink/precipice metaphor is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should grasp the intended sense.
Etymology
The expression edge of the abyss comes from the picture of someone standing on the thin edge of a very deep, dark abyss, about to fall in. So, it means being at a moment when a 'disaster' or very bad change is about to happen.