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Idioms and Phrases. In a precarious or risky position, as in After failing the midterm, he was on thin ice with his math teacher . This metaphor is often rounded out as skate on thin ice , as in He knew he was skating on thin ice when he took his rent money with him to the racetrack . This idiom, which alludes to the danger that treading on ...
1. Lit. on ice that is too thin to support one. (See also skate on thin ice; walk on thin ice.) Billy is on thin ice and is in great danger. 2. Fig. in a risky situation. If you try that you'll really be on thin ice. That's too risky. If you don't want to find yourself on thin ice, you must be sure of your facts. See also: ice, on, thin.
So literally, on thin ice means you are standing on ice that is too thin to support your weight (and you're most likely to fall through the ice). Idioms use figurative meanings of course—so on thin ice means being in a risky, dangerous or uncertain situation. Sentence examples — Don't raise your voice to me young man!
1 day ago · If you say that someone is on thin ice or is skating on thin ice, you mean that they are doing something risky which may have serious or unpleasant consequences . I had skated on thin ice and, so far, got away with it. See full dictionary entry for ice. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers.
The idiom “on thin ice” is a common phrase used to describe a situation where someone is in danger or at risk. However, the origins of this phrase are not clear-cut, and it has been used in various contexts throughout history. Historical Usage.
on thin ice, to be/skate. A hazardous course of action or conversation. “In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay Prudence (1841). Literally, it is possible to skate over very thin ice without breaking through if one glides quickly enough, but Emerson was already using the expression figuratively.
The idiom “on thin ice” is often used metaphorically to describe a situation where someone is in a precarious or risky position. It implies that the person is treading on unstable or dangerous ground and any misstep could lead to negative consequences.
