to walk on eggshells
10
6.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
andar con pies de plomo
- Look, I feel like I walk on eggshells around you.
- always walk on eggshells
- want to walk on eggshells
- keep walking on eggshells
Examples
-
Do you want to live life walking on eggshells trying to keep her happy?
Blog text (1) -
Do you feel as though you are walking on eggshells?
Blog text (29) -
I find myself walking on eggshells.
-
I see what you mean by always having to walk on eggshells around her.
-
I am sick and tired of walking on eggshells with my family, men, and everyone.
Blog text (2) -
You have to walk on eggshells with the director.
Blog text (25) -
Nothing has changed, but suddenly I am extremely anxious; I am walking on eggshells.
Fiction book (1990) -
Don't walk on eggshells around me.
-
I feel I have to walk on eggshells when I'm around her, or she'll freak out.
-
I often feel like I have to walk on eggshells to avoid upsetting my boss.
Synonyms
9
5.6
To act carefully to avoid hurting feelings or making mistakes
6
3.9
Act carefully to avoid mistakes, danger, or upsetting others
1
7.5
Be careful what you say to avoid offending someone
To act very carefully in a difficult situation to avoid mistakes or offend people
Antonyms
How Cautious
Surface Forms
Morphology
walk + on + eggshells
The literal image of 'walk' + 'on' + 'eggshells' clearly evokes moving very carefully, so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer a sense of extreme caution. However, the specific interpersonal nuance—acting cautiously to avoid upsetting someone—is a metaphorical extension that is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the expression is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
The idiom walk on eggshells comes from the image of trying to walk on thin eggshells without breaking them because eggshells crack very easily. That's why it means 'to act very carefully so you do not upset someone'.