on thin ice

Idioms  

1. In a precarious or risky position, as in After failing the midterm, he was on thin ice with his math teacher. This metaphor is often rounded out as skate on thin ice, as in He knew he was skating on thin ice when he took his rent money with him to the racetrack. This idiom, which alludes to the danger that treading on thin ice will cause it to break, was first used figuratively by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay Prudence (1841): “In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.”

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Example Sentences

“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” said U.N.

From Washington Times

By the time he addressed the podcast controversy, Richards was already on thin ice with viewers: In the days leading up to his casting, lawsuits alleging wrongful termination, gender-based harassment and retaliation filed by former female employees on “The Price Is Right,” where he was an executive producer from 2008 to 2018, came back to haunt him.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s unclear if Rodgers’ request was a legitimate one, unlike his pitch to bring in Randall Cobb, but the Packers are on thin ice with the reigning league MVP.

From Fox News

Last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Europe was still “on thin ice” and expressed caution that authorities across the continent should remain “cautiously optimistic.”

From Seattle Times

"We have to be careful with every sentence. It's like walking on thin ice."

From BBC

Related Words

• dangerous
• delicate
• dicey
• hazardous
• insecure
• perilous
• problematic
• risky
• rocky
• shaky
• slippery
• ticklish
• touchy
• uncertain
• unhealthy
• unreliable
• unsettled
• unstable
• unsteady