fine line

American  

[fahyn lahyn] / ˈfaɪn ˈlaɪn /

noun

1. a small, barely perceptible difference.

   There's often a fine line between helping and interfering.

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idioms

1. walk a fine line,

   1. to act carefully in order to avoid the wrong outcome or maintain a delicate balance.

      Moderators walk a fine line between censorship and protecting their site's users.

      I had to walk a fine line between maintaining the peace and doing my job.

   2. to act in a way that risks a disastrous outcome.

      You’re walking a fine line, buddy—if you don’t start watching your mouth, you’ll lose the respect of your kids.

Etymology

Origin of fine line

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

There is a fine line between humility and confidence, but he said he can get a glimpse of that balance in the way candidates talk about their accomplishments.

From MarketWatch

There is a fine line between humility and confidence.

From MarketWatch

But it was his second album, Fine Line, that really established him as musical force - with catchy, sophisticated songs such as Adore You and Watermelon Sugar selling more than a million copies in the UK alone.

From BBC

For Fine Line, Styles plastered cities around the world with posters that asked, "Do you know who you are?"

From BBC

And finally, kudos and roses to Glaser for her implicit tribute to the late Rob Reiner, as she closed the show in a “Spinal Tap” ball cap, saying, “This one went to 11” — which of course, it did, timewise — and “I hope we found the fine line between clever and stupid.”

From Los Angeles Times