touch and go

¹ American  

noun

1. a precarious or delicate state of affairs.

   It was touch and go there for a while during the operation.

2. quick action or movement.

   the touch and go of city traffic.

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touch-and-go ² American  

[tuhch-uhn-goh] / ˈtʌtʃ ənˈgoʊ /

adjective

1. risky; precarious.

   a touch-and-go descent down the mountain.

2. hasty, sketchy, or desultory.

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touch and go British  

adjective

1. (touch-and-go when prenominal) risky or critical

   a touch-and-go situation

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touch and go Cultural  

1. Uncertain or precarious: “The doctors told the patient that, even though her disease was in remission, from now on it was touch and go.”

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touch and go Idioms  

1. Extremely uncertain or risky, as in It was touch and go after the surgery; we were not sure he'd survive it, or It was touch and go but they finally gave me a seat on the plane. This idiom implies that a mere touch may cause a calamity. [Early 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of touch and go¹

First recorded in 1645–55

Origin of touch-and-go²

First recorded in 1805–15

Explanation

Anything that's touch-and-go is precarious or uncertain. A doctor might gravely describe a patient's prognosis as touch-and-go, meaning that she's not certain whether the patient will recover. When you hope for a certain outcome but aren't sure whether it will happen, that's a perfect time to use the adjective touch-and-go. If you and your opponent are running neck-and-neck, the student council elections are also touch-and-go. This word most likely comes from a 17th- and 18th-century chasing game similar to tag.

Example Sentences

In a heartfelt social media post late Saturday, Martyn said it was touch and go whether he would live and the experience was a reminder of "how fragile life is".

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

But the appropriators have continued their work through this period… So it’s a touch and go day-by-day analysis that we have here as a leadership team.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

“It was touch and go for a while!”

From Salon • Jul. 16, 2025

“He’s been battling it since spring training … and since he’s been back, it’s been kind of touch and go, good, then not good,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

For a while it was touch and go, hut within a week he was on his way back home.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli