Idiom
on thin ice
Meaning
Dangerously, hazardously, delicately.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“You are on thin ice with your teacher right now.”
“If you arrive late to work one more time, you will be on thin ice with your boss.”
“By repeatedly questioning the board's authority during the meeting, the manager realized he was on thin ice regarding his future at the company.”
Examples
simple
“You are on thin ice with your teacher right now.”
contextual
“If you arrive late to work one more time, you will be on thin ice with your boss.”
complex
“By repeatedly questioning the board's authority during the meeting, the manager realized he was on thin ice regarding his future at the company.”
Origin
From the literal danger of skating on thin ice; figurative since the 19th century — Emerson wrote 'in skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed' (1841).
Key words
Related idioms
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated