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Glite Dictionary
to walk on the high rope

to walk on the high rope

8.6
To be in a risky situation that needs great care to avoid failure
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : caminar en la cuerda floja
  • Launching a startup means you must walk on the high rope every day.

Examples

  • In her new management role, she often feels like she's walking on the high rope.

  • After the scandal, the politician had to walk on the high rope to win back public trust.

  • Don't walk on the high rope without a safety harness!

  • He is walking on the high rope of his career choices.

  • After the scandal, the politician had to walk on the high rope to win back public trust.

  • In her new management role, she often feels like she's walking on the high rope.

  • Launching a startup means you must walk on the high rope every day.

Synonyms

to live on the edge
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
11 7.4

Lead a life full of risk and excitement by doing dangerous things

means a single unstable risky situation rather than a long risky lifestyle
to walk a tightrope
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
4 7.7

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

is about being in an unstable situation rather than exact movements
to run a risk
vsto walk on the high rope
2 3.0

To do something that might lead to harm or loss

describes a risky unstable state rather than choosing a risky action
to hang by a thread
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
1 6.1

In a very dangerous situation where a small problem can cause everything to fail

is broader and not limited to one small triggering cause
to put one's ass on the line
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To take a big risk to help another person or group

is being in a risky situation not necessarily chosen or for a cause
to put on the line
vsto walk on the high rope
1 6.4

Risk something important, like money, life, or reputation

is about being in a precarious unstable situation rather than risking things
to walk on a razor's edge
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
8.6

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

is risky too but less focused on tiny mistakes causing disaster
to hang by a hair
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
9.1

To be in a very risky situation and about to fail

is a risky situation but not always with immediate collapse
hanging by a thread
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
7.3

In a very risky situation where failure can happen at any moment

is risky but not always likely to fail at any single moment
to walk on broken glass
vsto walk on the high rope
  • Informal
9.6

Act carefully to avoid causing trouble in a tense, painful situation

focuses more on unstable danger rather than mainly emotional pain

Antonyms

secure
117 3.6

Feeling confident and free from worry or doubt

on solid ground
2 3.9

Feeling safe and confident after a time of doubt or worry

How Risky

to walk on the high rope
  • Informal
8.6
to walk a tightrope
  • Informal
4 7.7
on thin ice
  • Informal
20 6.2

Surface Forms

walk on the high rope infinitive
walked on the high rope past
walked on the high rope past participle
walking on the high rope present participle
walks on the high rope third person singular

Morphology

walk + on + the + high + rope

The meaning is directly inferable from the literal scene of someone walking on a rope high above the ground: the constituents 'walk' + 'on' + 'high' + 'rope' compose a clearly dangerous, unstable situation, so the figurative extension to 'being in a risky situation' is predictable. This pattern (e.g., 'walk a tightrope' / 'andar en la cuerda floja') is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely understand the intended meaning.

Etymology

The idiom walk on the high rope comes from the image of a tightrope walker who must carefully walk along a thin rope high above the ground. Because one small mistake can make them fall, the image explains why the phrase means being in a 'risky or unstable' situation that needs great care.