tight rope
High tension cable
A tightrope is a rope or wire stretched taut between two points, high above the ground, for acrobats to walk across.
The word is usually one word: tightrope walker, tightrope act.
Figuratively, to walk a tightrope is to navigate a situation requiring careful balance between opposing pressures: She walked a tightrope between honesty and diplomacy.
- high wireElevated taut performance cable
- funambulistOne who walks ropes
- acrobatAgile circus performer
- circus performerBig-top entertainer
- tightwireTaut cable for balancing
balancing · balancing act · walk the line · circus · precariousness · razor's edge · fine line · high-wire walker · precision · equilibrium · uncertainty · tension · negotiation · trapeze · compromise · concentration · Philippe Petit · diplomacy
stability and security
tight ropesafety net
Protection against failure
solid ground · firm footing · stable platform · terra firma · safe harbor