on a/the knife-edge
idiom
: in a dangerous or important situation in which two very different results are possible
The election results hung on a knife-edge.
a region resting on a knife-edge after several wars
living on the knife-edge of poverty
Examples of on a/the knife-edge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With the match poised on a knife-edge, India’s captain Rohit Sharma sent Bumrah in to bowl his final two overs well ahead of schedule and the star bowler repaid his captain by stymieing the run rate and taking the wicket of Marco Jansen for good measure.
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Issy Ronald, CNN, 29 June 2024
This comes at a time when wealth and power in the supply chain have never been more unbalanced, with workers who were already living on the knife-edge of subsistence paying the price for the geopolitical instability that has roiled production and stoked inflation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
That places the value of his stake on a knife-edge.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Avery, the man who put the world’s economy on a knife-edge by plundering the flagship of Aurangzeb of India, possibly the richest person in the world, drew deeply on a pipe filled with Virginia’s finest tobacco.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Even by the standards of the many monotonous origin stories that have been rolled out during this superhero boom, Daniel Espinosa’s film is a whiff, a half-hearted effort to create a character on a knife-edge between valor and villainy that instead ends up a portrait of a very annoying weirdo.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2022
The situation is already on a knife-edge since huge Western shipments of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles are fueling Ukraine's strong resistance and apparently causing heavy Russian casualties.
—Stephen Collinson, CNN, 28 Mar. 2022
But the biggest warning comes when going up the final half-mile ascent, which requires hanging onto a chain while on a knife-edge ridge.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021
King of Boys ended on a knife-edge (spoiler alert).
—Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2021
Issy Ronald, CNN, 29 June 2024
This comes at a time when wealth and power in the supply chain have never been more unbalanced, with workers who were already living on the knife-edge of subsistence paying the price for the geopolitical instability that has roiled production and stoked inflation.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
That places the value of his stake on a knife-edge.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Avery, the man who put the world’s economy on a knife-edge by plundering the flagship of Aurangzeb of India, possibly the richest person in the world, drew deeply on a pipe filled with Virginia’s finest tobacco.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Even by the standards of the many monotonous origin stories that have been rolled out during this superhero boom, Daniel Espinosa’s film is a whiff, a half-hearted effort to create a character on a knife-edge between valor and villainy that instead ends up a portrait of a very annoying weirdo.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2022
The situation is already on a knife-edge since huge Western shipments of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles are fueling Ukraine's strong resistance and apparently causing heavy Russian casualties.
—Stephen Collinson, CNN, 28 Mar. 2022
But the biggest warning comes when going up the final half-mile ascent, which requires hanging onto a chain while on a knife-edge ridge.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021
King of Boys ended on a knife-edge (spoiler alert).
—Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on a/the knife-edge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“On a/the knife-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20a%2Fthe%20knife-edge. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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