What is another word for hanging by a thread?

Pronunciation: [hˈaŋɪŋ ba͡ɪ ɐ θɹˈɛd] (IPA)

Hanging by a thread is an expression used to describe a precarious situation where one's fate or success is uncertain. Some synonyms for this expression include being on the edge, in a precarious position, walking a tightrope, living on the brink, teetering on the edge, and balancing on a knife's edge. These phrases convey a sense of urgency and vulnerability, implying that one is barely holding on to a situation that could easily turn for the worse. While the original expression is commonly used, these synonyms offer a variety of ways to express the same idea, enriching our vocabulary and giving us more options to convey our thoughts and feelings in writing or speech.

What are the hypernyms for Hanging by a thread?

A hypernym is a word with a broad meaning that encompasses more specific words called hyponyms.

What are the opposite words for hanging by a thread?

The phrase "hanging by a thread" is often used to describe a precarious situation where one's fate or outcome is uncertain. However, it's useful to have antonyms for this phrase to describe situations where one's future is secured or certain. Phrases like "on solid ground," "in the clear," and "out of harm's way" all serve as excellent antonyms. These phrases evoke a sense of safety and security and imply that one is not at risk of falling or experiencing negative consequences. Having antonyms for phrases like "hanging by a thread" allows for a more nuanced and varied description of a situation or experience.

What are the antonyms for Hanging by a thread?

Famous quotes with Hanging by a thread

  • I always wanted to get into the horror genre. I like scary movies. I want to go to the fan shows and sign posters with my head hanging by a thread like a B-movie actress.
    Illeana Douglas
  • My life was on the line here and my career and everything I worked for, it was hanging by a thread.
    Rafael Palmeiro
  • Archie waited a beat- in strict command of the room, the silence almost unbearable- and said, "Everything in Brother Eugene's room is held together by screws. The chairs, the desks, the blackboards. Now, with your little screwdriver- maybe you'd better bring along various and assorted sizes, just in case- you start to loosen. Don't take out the screws. Just loosen them until they reach the point where they're almost ready to fall out, everything hanging by a thread..." A howl of delight came from the guys- probably Obie, who had gotten the picture, who could see the house that Archie was building, the house that didn't exist until he built it in their minds.
    Robert Cormier
  • The skein of human continuity must often become this tenuous across the centuries (hanging by a thread, in the old cliché), but the circle remains unbroken if I can touch the ink of Lavoisier's own name, written by his own hand. A candle of light, nurtured by the oxygen of his greatest discovery, never burns out if we cherish the intellectual heritage of such unfractured filiation across the ages. We may also wish to contemplate the genuine physical thread of nucleic acid that ties each of us to the common bacterial ancestor of all living creatures, born on Lavoisier's more than 3.5 billion years ago—and never since disrupted, not for one moment, not for one generation. Such a legacy must be worth preserving from all the guillotines of our folly.
    Stephen Jay Gould

Related words: clothes line, string, knot, stringing, threads, dangling, hanging by a thread

Semantically related questions:

  • What are the signs of being hung by a thread?
  • How to hang something by a string?
  • What is the meaning of "hanging by a thread"?
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