tightrope

American  

[tahyt-rohp] / ˈtaɪtˌroʊp /

noun

1. a rope or wire cable, stretched tight, on which acrobats perform feats of balancing.

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verb (used without object)

tightroped, tightroping

1. to walk, move, or proceed on or as on a tightrope.

   He tightroped through enemy territory.

verb (used with object)

tightroped, tightroping

1. to make (one's way, course, etc.) on or as on a tightrope.

tightrope British  

/ ˈtaɪtˌrəʊp /

noun

1. a rope or cable stretched taut above the ground on which acrobats walk or perform balancing feats

2. to be in a difficult situation that demands careful and considered behaviour

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tightrope Idioms  

1. see walk a tightrope.

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Etymology

Origin of tightrope

First recorded in 1795–1805; tight + rope

Example Sentences

It’s a tightrope walk that no legislator has mastered.

From Los Angeles Times

As a city council member, Raman has navigated a tightrope on the issue, responding to the wishes of her DSA supporters but also other constituents concerned about crime.

From Los Angeles Times

But the tightrope coach Brendon McCullum and captain Harry Brook are walking is so precarious after England's Ashes defeat and Brook's Wellington escapades, a defeat here may have sent them tumbling to new depths.

From BBC

Suddenly reporting from Russia felt like walking a tightrope over a legal minefield.

From BBC

When you’re at the top, as Charli XCX was a year and a half ago at the peak of “brat summer,” the only path ahead is a tightrope between cool and cringe.

From Los Angeles Times