walk on eggshells

English

Etymology

1800s usage, probably from the imagery that eggshells are easily broken when stepped upon.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌwɔːk ɒn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/, /ˌwɑk-/, /-ɔn-/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

walk on eggshells (third-person singular simple present walks on eggshells, present participle walking on eggshells, simple past and past participle walked on eggshells)

1. (idiomatic) To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.
2. (idiomatic) To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.

Translations

to act carefully to avoid upsetting someone

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: վարվել շրջահայաց կերպով (varvel šrǰahayacʻ kerpov), գործել մեծագույն զգուշությամբ (gorcel mecaguyn zgušutʻyamb)
• Bulgarian: действам внимателно (dejstvam vnimatelno)
• Catalan: anar amb peus de plom
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伴君如伴虎 (bàn jūn rú bàn hǔ) (for superiors only), 謹慎行事, 谨慎行事 (jǐnshèn xíngshì)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: gå på æggeskaller
• Dutch: op eieren lopen
• Finnish: pitää kuin kukkaa kämmenellä
• French: marcher sur des œufs (fr), prendre des pincettes
• Galician: ir cos pés de la
• German: einen Eiertanz vollführen (idiom)
• Hebrew: ללכת על ביצים
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: camminare sulle uova, andare coi piedi di piombo
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: obchodzić się jak z jajkiem (pl)
• Portuguese: pisar em ovos (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: ходи́ть на цы́почках (ru) (xodítʹ na cýpočkax), ходи́ть на цы́рлах (xodítʹ na cýrlax), ходи́ть по яи́чной скорлупе́ (xodítʹ po jaíčnoj skorlupé), ходи́ть по я́йцам (xodítʹ po jájcam)
• Serbo-Croatian: ходати по јајима
• Ukrainian: носитися, як курка з яйцем (nosytysja, jak kurka z jajcem), бігати, як курка з яйцем (bihaty, jak kurka z jajcem)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to handle sensitive matters delicately

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: լինել նուրբ նկատառում պահանջող դրության մեջ (linel nurb nkataṙum pahanǰoġ drutʻyan meǰ)
• Catalan: anar amb peus de plom
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 如履薄冰 (zh) (rú lǚ bó bīng)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: op eieren lopen
• Finnish: käsitellä silkkihansikkain
• French: prendre des pincettes, prendre des gants (fr), mettre des gants (fr)
• German: wie ein rohes Ei behandeln (idiom)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: obchodzić się jak z jajkiem (pl)
• Portuguese: pisar em ovos (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: ходи́ть на цы́почках (ru) (xodítʹ na cýpočkax), ходи́ть по я́йцам (xodítʹ po jájcam)
• Serbo-Croatian: ходати по јајима
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

See also

• (walking) on thin ice
• pussyfoot
• tiptoe through a minefield
• tread lightly

References

• “walk on eggshells”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.