hanging in the balance
Could go either
Hanging in the balance describes a situation where the outcome remains uncertain and could go either way.
The image is of a scale that hasn't yet tipped to one side or the other: With the vote too close to call, the future of the legislation hung in the balance.
Often used for high-stakes situations where everything depends on what happens next.
- knife-edgeCritically narrow margin
- razor's edgePrecarious dividing line
- pendingAwaiting resolution or decision
- undecidedNot having chosen
- uncertainNot firmly known
limbo · cliffhanger · critical point · moment of truth · hinge · make or break · equivocal · unresolved · crossroads · unsettled · jeopardy · on the line · doubtful · peril · life or death · ambivalence · precarious · on thin ice
hanging in the balancesettled
No longer in question
decided · determined · resolved · certain · concluded
hanging in the balancesecure
Protected from harm
safe · stable · out of danger · safe and sound · assured
hanged, hanger, hangers, hanging, hangings, overhanging, balance, balances, balanced