English idiom

touch and go

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

very uncertain, with a chance of failure at any moment

Why this phrase?

An aircraft making a practice landing touches the runway and immediately takes off again — no commitment, still uncertain.

Example

“It was touch and go whether the surgery would succeed.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

on thin ice

in a risky position where one mistake could cause trouble

bury one's head in the sand

to ignore an unpleasant reality hoping it will go away

can of worms

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

domino effect

a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events

in broad daylight

openly and where people can clearly see it, especially during the daytime

in the nick of time

at the latest moment when success is still possible

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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