hang by a thread

• hang on by a thread

An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.[1]

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hang by a thread (third-person singular simple present hangs by a thread, present participle hanging by a thread, simple past and past participle hung by a thread)

1. (idiomatic) To be in danger, calling for precise caution; to be in a precarious situation.

   Synonym: hang by a hair

   • 2017 June 2, Nicola Davis, “Giant Antarctic iceberg 'hanging by a thread', say scientists”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     A giant section of an Antarctic ice shelf is hanging by a thread and could break off at any moment, researchers have revealed.

   • 2019 January 14, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-2935 - O, Death” (0:07 from the start), in The Exploring Series‎, archived from the original on 25 March 2023:

     Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition.

   • 2022 January 28, Em Beihold, Nick Lopez, Dru DeCaro, “Numb Little Bug”, in Egg in the Backseat‎, performed by Em Beihold:

     Do you ever get a little bit tired of life / Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die / Like you're hanging by a thread, but you gotta survive / 'Cause you gotta survive