🗓️ Idiom: Walking a Tightrope (v)
💬 Meaning
- To be in a difficult situation where every decision must be made very carefully.
- It describes attempting to balance a situation where one wrong move could cause problems.
- Trying to keep diffrent people happy at the same time.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The manager was walking a tightrope between keeping costs low and maintaining staff morale.
- During the merger, leadership had to walk a tightrope not to upset either team.
- She’s walking a tightrope by pushing changes while trying to keep investors calm.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom comes from circus performers who literally walk on a narrow rope high above the ground. In business, it’s used when someone is in a risky situation requiring careful balance and decision-making.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The HR director is __________, trying to enforce new rules without upsetting employees.
Answer
walking a tightrope
2. Choose the correct meaning of “walking a tightrope”:
A) Taking a break
B) Managing a risky or sensitive situation
C) Relaxing after work
D) Making a quick decision
Answer
B) Managing a risky or sensitive situation
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“The supervisor must be very careful to keep her team and her manager happy.” → Change the sentence using: walking a tightrope
Answer
The supervisor is walking a tightrope between keeping her team and her manager happy.
