HANG BY A THREAD Definition & Meaning

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hang by a thread

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Idioms and Phrases

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.

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Example Sentences

Given the ease in which their lower order managed to clear the ropes as the innings progressed, Rizwan's side will be ruing that slow start with their semi-final hopes already hanging by a thread.

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England's hopes of regaining the Women's Ashes are hanging by a thread after suffering a heavy 86-run defeat by Australia in the third and final one-day international in Hobart.

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Levels of the most significant planet-warming gas in our atmosphere rose more quickly than ever previously recorded last year, scientists say, leaving a key global climate target hanging by a thread.

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He threw three head-scratching interceptions, each of which threatened to derail a Trojan offense that seemed to be hanging by a thread.

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"Russia's military presence in the Middle East region is hanging by a thread," he concluded.

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

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