touch and go
Meaning
Very uncertain or risky; the outcome is in doubt and it may succeed or fail, often implying a narrow escape.
Origin
Originally a nautical term (18th–19th c.) for a ship that “touches” bottom or an obstacle and then continues (“goes on”) without stopping; later generalized to any precarious situation or narrow escape.
Notes
Conveys a precarious, uncertain situation, often implying a near miss or narrow escape. Used in conversation or news. Often hyphenated (touch-and-go) before a noun.
Examples
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After the storm, the flight was touch and go for a while.
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It was touch and go whether the startup would survive its first year.
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The patient’s condition is touch and go tonight.
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We were running out of time—it was touch and go, but we finished the report.
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Negotiations are still touch and go, so don’t celebrate yet.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually used as an adjective: “It’s/was touch and go (whether…)” or “a touch-and-go situation.” Hyphenate when attributive before a noun; typically not inflected or reordered.
Synonyms
- uncertain
- precarious
- in the balance
- up in the air
- hanging by a thread
Antonyms
- certain
- sure
- secure
- settled
- safe