touch and go: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Informal to neutral, used in spoken and written English, common in narratives and reports.
Quick answer
What does “touch and go” mean?
A situation that is uncertain, critical, or very close to failure, where the outcome is unpredictable and could change rapidly.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A situation that is uncertain, critical, or very close to failure, where the outcome is unpredictable and could change rapidly.
Can describe a precarious condition in health, business, or any endeavour where success and failure are finely balanced; often implies a narrow escape or a period of tense uncertainty.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Slightly more common in British English, but widely understood and used in both varieties. The metaphorical use relating to health crises is frequent in both.
Connotations
In both varieties, it carries connotations of suspense, risk, and fragility. No significant difference in connotation.
Frequency
Common in both. Possibly more prevalent in UK press reporting on medical or sporting outcomes.
Grammar
How to Use “touch and go” in a Sentence
It was touch and go whether + CLAUSEIt is touch and go for + NOUN PHRASEVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “touch and go” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The negotiations entered a touch-and-go phase.
- It's a touch-and-go business, this antique restoration.
American English
- We're in a touch-and-go situation with the funding.
- His health is in a touch-and-go state.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
The merger is touch and go; the regulators could still block it.
Academic
The experimental results were touch and go for weeks before the data stabilized.
Everyday
It was touch and go whether we'd catch the last train home.
Technical
The pilot described the landing as touch and go due to the crosswinds. (Note: In aviation, 'touch and go' is a literal training manoeuvre.)
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “touch and go”
- Using it as a verb (*We touch and go the project).
- Confusing it with 'touch-and-go' as a noun without an article (*We faced touch and go).
- Overusing it for minor uncertainties.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Rarely. It inherently describes a risky, uncertain state. A positive outcome is a relief from a 'touch and go' situation.
Yes, when used attributively before a noun (a touch-and-go landing). No hyphen when used predicatively (The situation was touch and go).
Believed to come from 19th-century nautical or coaching slang, describing a manoeuvre where a ship or carriage barely touches the ground/wharf before moving off, implying minimal margin for error.
It is neutral to informal. Suitable for conversation, journalism, and general writing, but might be replaced with 'precarious' or 'uncertain' in very formal academic or legal contexts.
A situation that is uncertain, critical, or very close to failure, where the outcome is unpredictable and could change rapidly.
Touch and go: in British English it is pronounced /ˌtʌtʃ ən ˈɡəʊ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌtʌtʃ ən ˈɡoʊ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's touch and go whether we make it.”
- “He had a touch-and-go recovery after the surgery.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a game where you must TOUCH a fragile object and then GO quickly before it falls. The outcome is uncertain—it's 'touch and go' whether you succeed.
Conceptual Metaphor
BALANCE IS STABILITY / IMBALANCE IS RISK (A situation poised between two states, like a scales that could tip at any touch.)
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'touch and go' used INCORRECTLY?