touch and go

¹

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.

touch-and-go

²

[tuhch-uhn-goh]

adjective

1. risky; precarious.

   a touch-and-go descent down the mountain.

2. hasty, sketchy, or desultory.

touch and go

adjective

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

   a touch-and-go situation

touch and go

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of touch and go¹

First recorded in 1645–55

Origin of touch and go²

First recorded in 1805–15

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

An extract, published in the Times on Thursday, revealed that the late star got sepsis at the start of this year, and it "was really was touch and go" at one stage.

From BBC

“It was touch and go for a while!”

From Salon

By Monday night, those familiar with the whipping spreadsheet were warning that the situation was "touch and go".

From BBC

"We were all scared, but we took it in our stride and accepted it. We were lucky we came through it - it was touch and go at one time."

From BBC

"We were told it was touch and go whether she would survive," she said, adding Ms Jobling is "stable but under constant watch".

From BBC