en la cuerda floja
Meaning: To be in a precarious or dangerous position; to be walking a fine line between safety and disaster.
Language: Spanish
Literally: on the loose rope
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The image is of a tightrope walker balanced on a rope with little margin for error—one misstep leads to a fall.
More idioms — Daily Life
- romper la baraja — To abandon a game or situation in frustration; to take one's ball and go home.
- en la estacada — abandoned or left in a difficult situation without help.
- tira y afloja — a back-and-forth negotiation or struggle where each side gives and takes.
- a escondidillas — in secret; covertly or without someone's knowledge.
- de pitiminí — something trivial or of insignificant value.
- cada muerte de obispo — extremely rarely; once in a blue moon.
More Spanish idioms
- de aquellos polvos, estos lodos — Consequences or problems arise later from careless or harmful actions taken earlier; misd…
- a contracorriente — To act or think in opposition to prevailing opinion, custom, or the natural course of eve…
- cachicamo diciéndole a morrocoy conchudo — Calling out someone's faults when the accuser has the very same fault, especially when th…
- a todo gañote — At the top of one's voice; very loudly.
- fuera de sí — to be in a state of extreme emotion, either elation or distress, such that one loses comp…
- curva de la felicidad — excess abdominal fat; a protruding belly caused by overeating or drinking.
From our untranslatable words
- Querencia — A place where you feel safe, grounded, and most fully yourself — a sanctuary from which y…
- Estrenar — The specific pleasure of wearing, using, or showing off something brand new for the very…
- Friolero — A person who feels the cold far more than everyone else — always the first to reach for a…