tightrope-walk

• tight-rope-walk (dated)
• tightrope walk

The verb is a back-formation from tightrope walking.

tightrope-walk (third-person singular simple present tightrope-walks, present participle tightrope-walking, simple past and past participle tightrope-walked)

1. (ambitransitive) To walk on a tightrope or on (something) as though on one.

   Synonym: tightrope

   • 1937 August 21, “Test Your Knowledge of Current Events in News’ Weekly Quiz”, in Buffalo Evening News, volume CXIV, number 112, Buffalo, N.Y., →OCLC, Saturday Magazine (Fiction, Fact and Radio), page 6, column 6:

     It was just 78 years ago that Blondin tightrope-walked across the Niagara,

   • 1979 September 23, A P, “Up against the wall: East Germans find new ways to escape”, in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Oh.: Plain Dealer Publishing Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6-E, column 2:

     An East German circus artist tightrope-walked across a switched-off power line that had been left from pre-wall days.

   • 2019 April 9, Chris Erskine, “Amid a super bloom of birthdays, we pause to reflect on life in L.A.”, in Los Angeles Times‎, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-04-09:

     In Santa Monica, a daredevil tightrope-walks across a swing set.

   • 2023 January 26, Nardine Saad, “New ‘Succession’ trailer teases ‘tightrope walk’ on a razor in for Roy siblings”, in Los Angeles Times‎, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-01-26:

     As for the Logan siblings, Kendall likens his latest showdown with his father to “a tightrope walk on a straight razor ... Five-hundred-foot reputational drop.” / “Why is that making you smile? That shouldn’t make you smile,” Roman replies. “Who likes tightrope-walking on a straight razor?”

   • 2024 June 16, Lori Riley, “Gaylord Gauntlet 5K: This man suffered horrific injuries in motorcycle crash ”, in Hartford Courant, volume CLXXXVIII, number 168, Hartford, Conn., →ISSN, →OCLC, section 4, page 8, column 4:

     They clambered over walls and rocks, crossed water (with blowup alligators lurking below) on a zip line, climbed a muddy cargo net out of a water pit and tightrope-walked across logs.

2. (figuratively) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • 2008 September 4, John Farmer, “Could McCain be the next Teddy ?”, in The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J., →OCLC, page 11, column 1:

     In his speech tonight, McCain, who has backed Bush on such controversial issues as tax cuts and the Iraq war, will have to tightrope-walk his way between saluting Bush and making it clear that he’s something different, that he represents change.

   • 2013 February 25, Caitlin Dewey, “The Onion apologizes for Quvenzhane Wallis tweet that outraged the Internet”, in The Washington Post‎, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2017-02-12:

     The Onion often tightrope-walks the line between humor and bad taste, but the satirical news site was forced to apologize Monday morning for a distasteful Twitter joke about Quvenzhane Wallis, the nine-year-old star of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

   • 2021 February 6, Ben Golliver, “Kevin Durant lashes out at NBA health protocols as star players continue to vent frustrations”, in The Washington Post‎, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-02-06:

     The NBA’s attempt to tightrope-walk through the coronavirus pandemic encountered significant turbulence this week as LeBron James and other stars pushed back against a proposed All-Star Game and Kevin Durant sharply criticized the league after being caught up in a contact tracing mess.

   • 2024 April 21, A P, “Election 2024: Pa. GOP primary fight tests swing district”, in LNP, 229th year, number 310, Lancaster, Pa.: LNP Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page A9, column 5:

     Several of the “Biden 16” are like Fitzgerald, winning year after year by tightrope-walking between challengers in primaries and general elections.

   • 2025 January 10, Jerry Carino, “Coleman’s heroics spark Seton Hall past DePaul”, in Herald News, Woodland Park, N.J.: Gannett Media Corp, →OCLC, page 8S, column 2:

     Holloway prefers to go 10 deep, and he was determined to do that this season after tightrope-walking his way through last winter with a seven-man rotation.

3. (sports) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • 1937 January 2, Lee Bastajian, “LaRue Shines in Panther Triumph”, in Daily News, Los Angeles, Calif., →OCLC, page 19, column 3:

     Goldberg then rounded his own right end and tightrope-walked the side chalk mark for 18 yards and a first down on the Washington 35.

   • 1988 June 1, Ron Kohl, “Lady Rams Tightrope-Walked Their Way to Victory”, in News-Herald, 106th year, number 5584, Perkasie, Pa., →OCLC, page 18, columns 1 and 3:

     That’s five innings the hard way for Quakertown, which left eight runners stranded as Pennridge tightrope-walked out of danger. Four or five more games like yesterday’s, and the Lady Rams will have tightrope-walked their way deep into the state tournament.

   • 2022 October 10, Scott Lauber, “Phillies: Soon, the Phils will bring playoffs home at last”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 193, number 132, Philadelphia, Pa.: The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, page C3, column 3:

     He tightrope-walked to a Game 2 save, giving up back-to-back, two-out singles to Corey Dickerson and Yadier Molina before getting Tommy Edman to foul out.

tightrope-walk (plural tightrope-walks)

1. Alternative form of tightrope walk.
   • 2009 January 25, Ed Park, “Joan Aiken's Armitage family is charming - and magical”, in Los Angeles Times‎, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-01-15:

     "Rocket Full of Pie" is pure visual comedy, involving baked goods that need to be thrown off a boat and a tightrope-walk across a very long muffler.

   • 2020 May 26, Pat Stacey, “Killing Eve’s deadly weapon is boredom”, in The Herald, volume 129, number 126, Dublin, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 23, column 2:

     The audacity, the outrageousness, the dazzling changes of tone, the tightrope-walk between heart-pounding thrills and laugh-out-loud black comedy that made the first season so fresh and original were laboured and formulaic second time around.

   • 2020 December 7, Jim McBride, “Patriots do no wrong in romp”, in The Boston Globe, volume 298, number 160, Boston, Mass., →ISSN, →OCLC, page C2, column 4:

     Olszewski made some nice moves, received key blocks by Rashod Berry, and Donte Moncrief and did a nice tightrope-walk along the sideline.