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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

walk a tightrope en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (figuratively) To undertake a precarious course of action.
    • The older me, the one who prefers wine to fizz, wishes Leerhsen had more to say about things like: a) the elite and vernacular food worlds pre- and post-Bourdain; b) how Bourdain walked a moral tightrope across the conventions of travel writing and reporting, no mean feat for a wealthy white man in skinny jeans; […]. 2022 October 3, Dwitght Garner, “Anthony Bourdain’s New Biography: Light on Subtlety, Heavy on Grit”, in The New York Times:
    • The company constantly walked a tightrope between operating on little money and filling orders quickly.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
walks a tightrope Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
walking a tightrope Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
walked a tightrope Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
walked a tightrope Tense=Past lexicographic

Relateds

walk on eggshells

Translations (16)

hy խուսանավել (to undertake a precarious course) · fi tasapainoilla (to undertake a precarious course) · fr être sur le fil (to undertake a precarious course) · ca anar per la corda fluixa (to undertake a precarious course) · cmn 走鋼絲 /走钢丝 (to undertake a precarious course) · fi taiteilla (to undertake a precarious course) · fr être sur le fil du rasoir (to undertake a precarious course) · es andar en la cuerda floja (to undertake a precarious course) · hy խուսավարել (to undertake a precarious course) · ru ходи́ть по ле́звию ножа́ (to undertake a precarious course) · ca fer equilibris (to undertake a precarious course) · pl balansować na krawędzi (to undertake a precarious course) · pt andar na corda bamba (to undertake a precarious course) · ja 綱渡をする (to undertake a precarious course) · pl stąpać po kruchym lodzie (to undertake a precarious course) · it camminare sul filo del rasoio (to undertake a precarious course)