threading the needle
Navigating tight spaces
Threading the needle is accomplishing something that requires extreme precision, typically navigating a narrow path between obstacles or competing dangers: The quarterback threaded the needle between two defenders.
The phrase comes from the delicate act of passing thread through a needle's eye.
In contexts from politics to driving to surgery, it describes finding the one viable route through a tight space or difficult situation.
- eyeOrgan of sight
- sewingCraft with needle and thread
- sewing kitStitching supplies container
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- precision timingAccuracy to the millisecond
dexterity · balance · tight spot · tight squeeze · focus · finesse · narrow · negotiation · tact · compromise · split the difference · diplomacy · exactitude · camel · guide · hole · embroidery · mending
threading the needlebrute force
Power over technique
blunt instrument · heavy-handed · plowing through · steamrolling · bludgeoning
threading the needlepath of least resistance
Course requiring least effort
slam dunk · child's play · cakewalk · no-brainer · easy pickings
threading the needlemissing the mark
Failing to achieve aim
crashing and burning · blowing it · fumbling · choking · falling short
thread, threading, threaded, threads, threader, needle, needles, needled, needling