Subscribe To This Site
Hang by a thread
Hang by a thread
Hang by a thread : Phrases
Meaning:
To be in a very precarious situation; perilous position.
Example:
Joel was just about at the top of his climb up the ice cliff when one of his ice pick axe handles broke - he was hanging on by a thread, waiting for a rescue team.
Origin:
This phrase comes from the story of the flatterer Damocles, who was invited by the tyrant Dionysius to experience the luxury he so envied and praised. When Damocles sat down to a sumptuous feast, he discovered a sword suspended over his head by a single hair. Fear that the sword would fall and kill him prevented him from enjoying the banquet.