WALK / TREAD A FINE / THIN LINE

Meaning of WALK / TREAD A FINE / THIN LINE in English

to be in a difficult or dangerous situation where you could easily make a mistake :

He was walking a fine line between being funny and being rude.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005

WALK — I. ˈwȯk verb ( -ed/-ing/-s ) Etymology: Middle English walken (past welk, past participle walke ), from Old English wealcan …
Webster's New International English Dictionary
TREAD — I. ˈtred verb ( trod ˈträd ; also treaded ; trodden ˈträd ə n ; or trod also tread ; …
Webster's New International English Dictionary
THIN — I. ˈthin adjective ( thinner ; thinnest ) Etymology: Middle English thinne, from Old English thynne; akin to Old High …
Webster's New International English Dictionary
LINE — I. ˈlīn noun ( -s ) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English līn — more at linen 1. a. archaic …
Webster's New International English Dictionary
FINE — I. fine ˈfīn noun ( -s ) Etymology: Middle English fin, fine, from Old French fin, from Latin finis boundary, …
Webster's New International English Dictionary
TREAD — (n.) A step or stepping; pressure with the foot; a footstep; as, a nimble tread; a cautious tread.
Английский словарь Webster
TREAD — (v. t.) To beat or press with the feet; as, to tread a path; to tread land when too light; …
Английский словарь Webster
THIN — (superl.) Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite; as, a thin plate of metal; thin paper; …
Английский словарь Webster
THIN — ( superl. ) Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite; as, a thin plate of metal; …
Webster's Revised Unabridged English Dictionary
WALK — /wawk/ , v.i. 1. to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move …
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
TREAD — — treader , n. /tred/ , v. , trod, trodden or trod, treading , n. v.i. 1. to set down …
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
THIN — — thinly , adv. — thinness , n. /thin/ , adj., thinner, thinnest , adv., v., thinned, thinning . adj. …
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
LINE — line 1 — linable, lineable , adj. — lineless , adj. — linelike , adj. /luyn/ , n. , v. …
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
FINE — fine 1 /fuyn/ , adj., finer, finest , adv., v., fined, fining , n. adj. 1. of superior or best …
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
WALK — I. ˈwȯk verb Etymology: partly from Middle English walken (past welk, past participle walken ), from Old English wealcan to …
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
TREAD — I. ˈtred verb ( trod ˈträd ; also tread·ed ; trod·den ˈträ-d ə n ; or trod ; tread·ing ) …
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
THIN — I. ˈthin adjective ( thin·ner ; thin·nest ) Etymology: Middle English thinne, from Old English thynne; akin to Old High …
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
FINE — I. fine ˈfīn noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French fin, fine, from Latin finis boundary, end Date: 13th century 1. …
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
WALK — noun conduct; course of action; behavior. 2. walk ·vi to move off; to depart. 3. walk ·add. ·noun a place …
Webster English vocab
TREAD — noun way; track; path. 2. tread ·vt to step or walk on. 3. tread ·noun the act of copulation in …
Webster English vocab
THIN — superl not full or well grown; wanting in plumpness. 2. thin ·vt to make thin (in any of the senses …
Webster English vocab
LINE
Webster English vocab
FINE — superl (used ironically.). 2. fine ·superl not coarse, gross, or heavy. 3. fine ·vi to pay a fine. ·see fine, …
Webster English vocab
WALK — [walk] vb [partly fr. ME walken (past welk, pp. walken), fr. OE wealcan to roll, toss, journey about (past weolc, …
Merriam-Webster English vocab
TREAD — [tread] vb trod also tread.ed ; trod.den or trod ; tread.ing [ME treden, fr. OE tredan; akin to OHG tretan …
Merriam-Webster English vocab
THIN — [thin] adj thin.ner ; thin.nest [ME thinne, fr. OE thynne; akin to OHG dunni thin, L tenuis thin, tenere to …
Merriam-Webster English vocab
FINE — [fine] n [ME, fr. OF fin, fr. L finis boundary, end] (13c) 1 obs: end, conclusion 2: a compromise of …
Merriam-Webster English vocab
WALK — in horsemanship, moderately slow four-beat gait of a horse, during which each foot strikes the ground separately and the horse …
Britannica English vocabulary
FINE — I fine ordinary senses BrE AmE faɪn ▷ fined faɪnd ▷ finer ˈfaɪn ə AmE - ə r ▷ fines …
Longman Pronunciation English Dictionary
WALK — / wɔːk; NAmE / verb , noun ■ verb 1. [usually + adv. / prep. ] to move or go …
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
TREAD — / tred; NAmE / verb , noun ■ verb ( trod / trɒd; NAmE trɑːd/ trod·den / ˈtrɒdn; NAmE ˈtrɑːdn/ …
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
THIN — / θɪn; NAmE / adjective , adverb , verb ■ adjective ( thin·ner , thin·nest ) NOT THICK 1. having …
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
LINE
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
FINE — / faɪn; NAmE / adjective , adverb , noun , verb ■ adjective ( finer , fin·est ) VERY GOOD …
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
WALK — I. walk 1 S1 W1 /wɔːk $ wɒːk/ BrE AmE verb 1 . [intransitive and transitive] to move forward by …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
TREAD — I. tread 1 /tred/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense trod /trɒd $ trɑːd/, past participle trodden /ˈtrɒdn $ ˈtrɑːdn/) …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
THIN — I. thin 1 S2 W2 /θɪn/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative thinner , superlative thinnest ) [ Word Family: noun …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
LINE — I. line 1 S1 W1 /laɪn/ BrE AmE noun [ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Partly from Old French ligne , …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
FINE — I. fine 1 S1 W1 /faɪn/ BrE AmE adjective [ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: French ; Origin: fin , from …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
WALK — v. & n. --v. 1 intr. a (of a person or other biped) progress by lifting and setting down each …
Английский основной разговорный словарь
TREAD — v. & n. --v. (trod; trodden or trod) 1 intr. (often foll. by on) a set down one's foot; walk …
Английский основной разговорный словарь
THIN — adj., adv., & v. --adj. (thinner, thinnest) 1 having the opposite surfaces close together; of small thickness or diameter. 2 …
Английский основной разговорный словарь
LINE — n. & v. --n. 1 a continuous mark or band made on a surface (drew a line). 2 use of …
Английский основной разговорный словарь
FINE — adj., n., adv., & v. --adj. 1 of high quality. 2 a excellent; of notable merit (a fine painting). b …
Английский основной разговорный словарь
WALK — v. & n. v. 1 intr. a (of a person or other biped) progress by lifting and setting down each …
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
TREAD — v. & n. v. (trod; trodden or trod) 1 intr. (often foll. by on) a set down one's foot; walk …
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
THIN — adj., adv., & v. adj. (thinner, thinnest) 1 having the opposite surfaces close together; of small thickness or diameter. 2 …
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
LINE — n. & v. n. 1 a continuous mark or band made on a surface (drew a line). 2 use of …
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
FINE — adj., n., adv., & v. adj. 1 of high quality. 2 a excellent; of notable merit (a fine painting). b …
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
WALK — v. & n. --v. 1. intr. a (of a person or other biped) progress by lifting and setting down each …
Oxford English vocab
TREAD — v. & n. --v. (trod; trodden or trod) 1. intr. (often foll. by on) a set down one's foot; walk …
Oxford English vocab
THIN — adj., adv., & v. --adj. (thinner, thinnest) 1. having the opposite surfaces close together; of small thickness or diameter. 2 …
Oxford English vocab
LINE — 1. n. & v. --n. 1. a continuous mark or band made on a surface (drew a line). 2 use …
Oxford English vocab
FINE — 1. adj., n., adv., & v. --adj. 1. of high quality. 2 a excellent; of notable merit (a fine painting). …
Oxford English vocab
FINE — I. ADJECTIVE USES /faɪn/ ( finer, finest) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
WALK — ( walks, walking, walked) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. When you …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
TREAD — ( treads, treading, trod, trodden) 1. If you tread on something, you put your foot on it when you are …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
THIN — ( thinner, thinnest, thins, thinning, thinned) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
LINE — ( lines, lining, lined) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A line …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
WALK — I. verb COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a cliff walk (= a walk along cliffs ) ▪ Shall we do the …
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
TREAD — I. verb COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS ■ ADVERB carefully ▪ So she had to tread carefully . ▪ It is important, …
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
THIN — I. adjective COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a thin mouth (= with thin lips ) ▪ a woman with a sharp …
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
LINE — I. noun COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a boundary line ▪ There was some disagreement about the exact position of the …
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
FINE — I. adjective COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a beautiful/fine/sunny morning ▪ Outside it was a beautiful morning. a fine balance (= …
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary

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