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high-wire act



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Idioms and Phrases

A risky job or operation, as in The university press is not allowed to either make or lose money—that's a high-wire act . This expression alludes to the aerialist performing on a tightrope stretched high above the ground. [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

That Elgort executes the high-wire act so flawlessly is probably owed to the fact that he shares some of the same qualities.

All the while, FDR was performing a political high-wire act at home.

These risks and stylistic choices are no literary high-wire act.

Nevertheless, many boxers find it hard to walk away from the high wire act of high stakes professional boxing.

It was a high-wire act to be sure, but Calvin Coolidge managed to pull it off.

With life a continuous high-wire act, he trained every surviving fiber to precision, dexterity, and tenacity.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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