on a knife-edge
1
7.8
- idiom
:
en una situación precaria
- The negotiations were on a knife-edge, and any wrong move could jeopardize the deal.
- balanced on a knife-edge
But it's that's on a knife edge as well, but tough.
- But it's that's on a knife edge as well, but tough.
Examples
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The town balanced on a knife edge, with the price of copper on one side and the cost of mining it on the other.
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Despite the fact that Senate control is on a knife edge (Politico NYT), publicly available polls are surprisingly scarce.
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It's on a knife edge.
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London's on a knife edge.
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Both Senate and House control are on a knife-edge.
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That is our main problem, and it's balancing on a knife edge right now.
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Our future is balanced on a knife-edge.
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If anything, Silver's placing of Florida on a knife edge makes him look even more prescient.
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Today's Financial Times bears a banner headline on p.1: "US election hangs on a knife edge."
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The Princeton Election Consortium's analysis and prediction approach gives a sharp picture of where we are: very likely Obama re-election, with House and Senate on a knife edge.
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Synonyms
230
4.8
At risk of being lost or harmed because of how something turns out
127
5.7
A point when an important or dangerous change is about to happen
37
6.8
To be in a situation where the result is not decided, for example a job or game
20
6.2
In danger of getting into trouble for something you did
9
7.2
A situation that is dangerous or uncertain until the last moment
1
8.5
A dangerous point where disaster is about to happen
In a very risky situation where failure can happen at any moment
In a risky situation that could end badly
Antonyms
How Precarious
Surface Forms
Morphology
on + a + knife-edge
The phrase literally evokes being 'on' the narrow, dangerous edge of a knife, so a learner who knows 'on', 'a', 'knife' and 'edge' can infer a sense of danger or precarious balance. However, the extension to an uncertain outcome or unstable situation is a metaphorical mapping rather than fully compositional, so understanding the exact nuance usually requires some exposure or inference.
Etymology
The idiom on a knife-edge comes from the image of something balanced on the very thin edge of a knife, ready to fall either way. So it means 'in a dangerous, unstable situation' where a small change could decide what happens.