touch and go
Could swing either
Touch and go describes a precarious situation where the outcome is uncertain until the last moment.
The phrase suggests things could tip either way—success or failure, survival or death: It was touch and go for a while, but she pulled through.
In aviation, a touch and go is a training maneuver where a plane lands briefly then immediately takes off again.
Not firmly known
- riskyInvolving possible harm
- diceyUncertain and hazardous
- iffyUncertain, questionable
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
shaky · unstable · volatile · tenuous · fragile · delicate · borderline · knife-edge
Risking death
- critical conditionSeverely ill, unstable medically
- emergencySerious sudden danger
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
- intensive careSpecialized treatment for severe illness
dire · grave · serious · acute · perilous · desperate · cliffhanger · do-or-die
uncertain
Not firmly known
unpredictable · shaky · unstable · volatile · tenuous · fragile · delicate · borderline · knife-edge · hanging by a thread
life-threatening
Risking death
- critical conditionSeverely ill, unstable medically
- emergencySerious sudden danger
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
intensive care · dire · grave · serious · acute · perilous · desperate · cliffhanger · do-or-die · high-stakes
- close callsclose call, near miss, narrow escape, close shave, nick of time
- Old Idiomsbeyond the pale, hue and cry, scot-free, knight in shining armor, eat humble pie
- suspensesuspense, suspenseful, tension, nail-biter, nail-biting
- flight trainingflight training, flight school, flight instructor, student pilot, solo flight
- flight eventstakeoff, landing, liftoff, flight, launch
- landingslanding, emergency landing, soft landing, crash landing, hard landing
touch and gosure thing
Guaranteed outcome or agreement
certain · guaranteed · foregone conclusion · in the bag · assured
touch and gosafe
Free from peril
secure · stable · solid · out of danger · in the clear
touch, touching, touched, touches, untouchable, touchable, touchdown, touch-and-go, touchstone