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Synonyms

hang by a thread

Idioms  

  1. Also, hang by a hair. Be in a risky or unstable situation, as in His promotion was hanging by a thread, or With the lead actor sick, the success of our play hung by a hair. This expression, already proverbial in the early 1500s, alludes to Damocles, who vexed King Dionysius with constant flattery. The king invited him to a banquet where Damocles found himself seated under a naked sword suspended by a single hair, symbolizing his insecure position at the court.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

England's hopes in the second Test and the Ashes hang by a thread following an awful third day against Australia at Lord's.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2023

The whole evening, the whole campaign, seemed to hang by a thread.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2022

The trappings of a functional state — electricity, traffic lights, fuel — hang by a thread.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2021

Chile’s hopes of a World Cup place hang by a thread and, not for the first time, the thought occurs that a wonderful generation of players is collectively slowing up.

From The Guardian • Sep. 6, 2017

Once he was free, everything would hang by a thread.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.