touch-and-go
[ tuhch-uh n-goh ]
/ ˈtʌtʃ ənˈgoʊ /
adjective
risky; precarious: a touch-and-go descent down the mountain.
hasty, sketchy, or desultory.
Origin of touch-and-go
First recorded in 1805–15
Words nearby touch-and-go
touch plate,
touch rugby,
touch screen,
touch system,
touch up,
touch-and-go,
touch-in-goal,
touch-in-goal line,
touch-me-not,
touch-ready,
touch-sensitive
Definition for touch-and-go (2 of 2)
touch and go
noun
a precarious or delicate state of affairs: It was touch and go there for a while during the operation.
quick action or movement: the touch and go of city traffic.
Origin of touch and go
First recorded in 1645–55
Example sentences from the Web for touch-and-go
British Dictionary definitions for touch-and-go
touch and go
adjective
(touch-and-go when prenominal)
risky or critical
a touch-and-go situation
Cultural definitions for touch-and-go
touch and go
Uncertain or precarious: “The doctors told the patient that, even though her disease was in remission, from now on it was touch and go.”
Idioms and Phrases with touch-and-go
touch and go
Extremely uncertain or risky, as in It was touch and go after the surgery; we were not sure he'd survive it, or It was touch and go but they finally gave me a seat on the plane. This idiom implies that a mere touch may cause a calamity. [Early 1800s]