ON THIN ICE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for on thin ice

Discover More

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 thin ice will cause it to break, was first used figuratively by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay Prudence (1841): “In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.”

Related Words

Word of the Day

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

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