touch and go

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

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 Neutral · CEFR B2

in a risky position where one mistake could cause trouble

bury one's head in the sand Neutral · CEFR B1

to ignore an unpleasant reality hoping it will go away

can of worms Informal · CEFR B1

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

domino effect Neutral · CEFR B1

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

in broad daylight Neutral · CEFR B1

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

in the nick of time Neutral · CEFR B1

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.

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