| Idiom | Touch and Go |
|---|---|
| Example | It was touch and go for a while, but the vet says my rabbit will live. |
| Meaning | very risky, uncertain, or critical |
| Origin | This saying was first used in the 1800s and may have come from ships that came close to touching the bottom of the sea while in shallow water, or to touching other things that could sink them. These dangerous situations sometimes ended with narrow escapes. If the ship touched bottom but managed to go on, it had survived a "touch-and-go" situation. The term also referred to horse-drawn carriages, when there was a narrow escape from an accident after the wheels of two coaches touched. Today we use this phrase to describe any uncertain situation that could end either horribly or happily. |
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