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knife-edge. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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English
Noun
knife-edge (plural knife-edges)
- A piece of steel sharpened to an acute edge or angle, and resting on a smooth surface, serving as the axis of motion of a pendulum, scale beam, or other piece required to oscillate with the least possible friction.
- (figuratively) A precarious balance that could be upset by a very small force in either direction.
The game was on a knife-edge.
2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 43:40 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 19 August 2022:[…] meanwhile, Biloxi and Vincennes are both in the process of going down and being abandoned, whilst Miami is right on the knife-edge of being recoverable, with three destroyers clustering around offering pumping and additional damage-control crews to try and keep the light cruiser afloat.
2022 January 12, “Boris Johnson's future on a knife edge after No 10 party apology”, in The Guardian:Boris Johnson's future on a knife edge after No 10 party apology [title]
2023 April 2, Jon Henley, “Finland begins voting in knife-edge election”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:Polling stations have opened in a knife-edge election in Finland, with polls suggesting the three leading parties are running neck-and-neck and prime minister Sanna Marin may face an uphill battle to stay in power.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: the edge of a knife.
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