C1idiompoliticsIELTS-friendly
walk a tightrope
USUK
to be in a difficult situation where you must balance two opposing sides carefully
Usually 'walk a tightrope between A and B'. A noun form is 'a political tightrope'.
In context
The minister is walking a tightrope between farmers and environmental groups.
Parents of teenagers walk a tightrope between giving freedom and keeping them safe.
More idioms about politics
- a double standarda rule applied more strictly to one group than to another
- a grey areaa situation where the rules are unclear, so nobody is sure what is allowed
- a hidden agendaa secret reason or plan behind what someone says or does
- a hot potatoa difficult issue that people disagree about and nobody wants to deal with
- a lame ducka politician or government with little real power, often near the end of a term in office