IdiomThe Absurd
English
Englishwalk a tightrope
Meaning: To be in a situation where one small mistake would be disastrous.
Example: “The negotiator was walking a tightrope between the two families.”
Origin: Circus tightrope walkers have no margin for error. The figurative use is common from the 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: en la cuerda floja Literally: On the loose rope
More English idioms
- take one's ball and go home To quit in a sulk and spoil the activity for everyone else.
- a spare tire A roll of fat around the waist.
- count one's chickens before they hatch To rely on something good before it has actually happened.
- give and take Mutual compromise, where each side concedes something.
- on the sly Secretly, so as not to be seen.
- small potatoes Something unimportant or trivial.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Dietrologia The conviction that the official account is never the real one — that some hidden motive…
- Attaccabottoni The person who corners you and holds you in an endless, tedious story you cannot politely…
- Menefreghista Someone who has made not caring into an entire stance — indifference as a way of life.
Keep exploring