tightrope walking
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: * The activity or skill of walking along a tightrope or slack rope, typically at a considerable height, as a performance of balance and precision.
Usage
- "Tightrope walking" is an uncountable noun referring to the general activity or skill.
- It is commonly used to describe a circus or street performance art.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe a situation requiring delicate balance and careful action.
Examples
- The circus's most thrilling act was the tightrope walking.
- She has been practicing tightrope walking for years to perfect her balance.
- For the CEO, negotiating the merger felt like tightrope walking between the two competing boards.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical Use: The term is frequently used to describe any situation that requires navigating a narrow path between two dangers or opposing demands.
- The diplomat's mission was a political tightrope walking between maintaining alliances and enforcing sanctions.
Variants and Related Words
- Tightrope walker (noun): A person who performs tightrope walking.
- The famous tightrope walker crossed the canyon.
- Funambulism (noun): The formal or technical term for tightrope walking.
- Slacklining (noun): The recreational activity of walking or balancing on a length of flat, flexible webbing tensioned between two anchors, distinct from a rigid tightrope.
Synonyms
- Funambulism (formal)
- High-wire walking (specifically on a wire at height)
- Rope walking
Related Phrases
- To walk a tightrope (idiom): To be in a situation where one must act very carefully to avoid problems.
- As a moderator, he had to walk a tightrope to keep the debate fair and civil.
Noun
- walking on a tightrope or slack rope