Dictionary

hang by a thread en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To be in danger, calling for precise caution; to be in a precarious situation.
   • Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition. 2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:07 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 25 Mar 2023:
   • Do you ever get a little bit tired of life / Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die / Like you're hanging by a thread, but you gotta survive / 'Cause you gotta survive 2022 January 28, Em Beihold, Nick Lopez, Dru DeCaro, “Numb Little Bug”, in Egg in the Backseat, performed by Em Beihold:
   • A giant section of an Antarctic ice shelf is hanging by a thread and could break off at any moment, researchers have revealed. 2017 June 2, Nicola Davis, “Giant Antarctic iceberg 'hanging by a thread', say scientists”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 16 Feb 2018:

Forms

Synonyms

hang by a hair

Translations (24)

ru висе́ть на волоске (to be in a precarious situation) · es pender de un hilo (to be in a precarious situation) · ca aguantar-se per un fil (to be in a precarious situation) · lv karāties mata galā (to be in a precarious situation) · cmn 岌岌可危 (to be in a precarious situation) · pl wisieć na włosku (to be in a precarious situation) · cmn 危在旦夕 (to be in a precarious situation) · yue 危在旦夕 (to be in a precarious situation) · fi olla hiuskarvan varassa (to be in a precarious situation) · cmn 命懸一線 /命悬一线 (to be in a precarious situation) · th แขวนบนเส้นด้าย (to be in a precarious situation) · yue 岌岌可危 (to be in a precarious situation) · pt estar por um fio (to be in a precarious situation) · he תָּלוּי עַל בְּלִימָה (to be in a precarious situation) · yue 命懸一線 /命悬一线 (to be in a precarious situation) · is hanga á bláþræði (to be in a precarious situation) · ca venir d'un fil (to be in a precarious situation) · cmn 千鈞一髮 /千钧一发 (to be in a precarious situation) · mk ви́си на ко́нец (to be in a precarious situation) · it essere appeso a un filo (to be in a precarious situation) · mk ви́си на вла́кно (to be in a precarious situation) · yue 千鈞一髮 /千钧一发 (to be in a precarious situation) · fr ne tenir qu'à un fil (to be in a precarious situation) · de an einem seidenen Faden hängen (to be in a precarious situation)