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Glite Dictionary
to walk on broken glass

to walk on broken glass

9.6
Act carefully to avoid causing trouble in a tense, painful situation
  • idiom
  • Informal
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  • Working for such a demanding boss is like having to walk on broken glass every day.

But legs me are just, it felt constantly like I was walking on broken glass.

Examples

  • After the argument, I felt I had to walk on broken glass around him to avoid another conflict.

  • During the negotiations, the diplomats were constantly walking on broken glass to keep both sides satisfied.

  • Don't walk on broken glass!

  • You should walk on broken glass carefully.

  • In our tense team meeting, I felt like I had to walk on broken glass to avoid upsetting my manager.

  • Each time he spoke up, it felt as though he was walking on broken glass amid his colleagues' arguments.

  • Confronting her angry parents about her grades was like walking on broken glass for her, as she feared their reaction.

Synonyms

on thin ice
vsto walk on broken glass
  • Informal
20 6.2

In danger of getting into trouble for something you did

is about suffering in a tense painful situation rather than simply being at risk
to go through hell
vsto walk on broken glass
15 7.0

To have a very hard and painful time in life

is about enduring hardship that also requires great care
to walk a tightrope
vsto walk on broken glass
  • Informal
4 7.7

To be in a difficult situation where you must be very careful to avoid failure or trouble

is about suffering through pain and tension rather than exact actions
to go through the wringer
vsto walk on broken glass
  • Informal
7.6

To experience a very difficult and stressful time

is about enduring a tense situation that requires careful action
to walk on the high rope
vsto walk on broken glass
  • Informal
8.6

To be in a risky situation that needs great care to avoid failure

is about enduring painful tension rather than general instability
to walk on a razor's edge
vsto walk on broken glass
  • Informal
8.6

To be in a very dangerous situation where a small mistake causes big harm

is about enduring pain and tension rather than sudden ruin from one mistake

Antonyms

ease
304 1.0

A state of comfort and freedom from worry

comfort
190 1.0

A feeling of physical ease and being free from pain

How Painful

to suffer
∞ 2.0
to walk on broken glass
  • Informal
9.6
to endure
304 3.5
to bear
876 3.9
to put up with
288 4.3

Surface Forms

walk on broken glass infinitive
walked on broken glass past
walked on broken glass past participle
walking on broken glass present participle
walks on broken glass third person singular

Morphology

walk + on + broken + glass

The phrase evokes a clear literal image—walking on broken glass is painful and requires extreme care—so a learner who knows the component words can infer a general sense of enduring pain or a tense situation. However, the meaning is a conventionalized metaphor whose specific pragmatic nuances (e.g., caution to avoid offense or the idea of enduring rather than literal pain) are not fully predictable, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Walk on broken glass creates a clear picture: to walk on broken glass you must step very slowly and carefully to avoid cuts. That's why it means 'to have to be very careful and patient in a painful or tense situation'.