hang by a thread

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Audio (AU)(file)

Verb[edit]

hang by a thread (third-person singular simple present hangs by a thread, present participle hanging by a thread, simple past and past participle hung by a thread)

  1. (idiomatic) To be in danger, calling for precise caution; to be in a precarious situation.
    Synonym: hang by a hair
    • 2017 June 2, Nicola Davis, “Giant Antarctic iceberg 'hanging by a thread', say scientists”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      A giant section of an Antarctic ice shelf is hanging by a thread and could break off at any moment, researchers have revealed.
    • 2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:07 from the start), in The Exploring Series‎[2], archived from the original on 25 March 2023:
      Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition.
    • 2022 January 28, Em Beihold, Nick Lopez, Dru DeCaro, “Numb Little Bug”, in Egg in the Backseat‎[3], performed by Em Beihold:
      Do you ever get a little bit tired of life / Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die / Like you're hanging by a thread, but you gotta survive / 'Cause you gotta survive

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Christine Ammer (2013) “hang by a thread”, in American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, second edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 196.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=hang_by_a_thread&oldid=75968652"