balance

*in the balance

in an undecided state; at risk. (*Typically: be ~; hang ~.) He stood on the edge of the cliff, his life in the balance. With his fortune in the balance, John rolled the dice.

balance (something) against (something else)

to consider one thing in reference to another; to weigh one possibility against another possibility. We will have to balance all the good he did against all the bad. The good will be balanced against the bad in the final reckoning.

See also: against

balance (something) with (something else)

to offset something with something else; to balance something against something else. The teacher tends to balance a harsh grading scheme with a strong sense of fair play. Roger balanced the spicy soup with a bland first course. They balanced his bad behavior with the good, but still felt he was much too rude.

balance out

to equal out; to become even or fair. These things all balance out in the end. Don't worry. Things will balance out.

See also: out

balance the accounts 

1. Lit. and balance the books to determine through bookkeeping that accounts are in balance, that all money is accounted for. Jane was up all night balancing the accounts. The cashier was not allowed to leave the bank until the manager balanced the books.

2. Fig. to get even [with someone]. Tom hit Bob. Bob balanced the accounts by breaking Tom's toy car. Once we have balanced the accounts, we can shake hands and be friends again.

See also: account

catch someone napping and catch someone off balance; catch someone up short

to come upon someone who is unprepared; to surprise someone. (See also asleep at the switch.) The enemy soldiers caught our army napping. The thieves caught the security guard napping. I didn't expect you so soon. You caught me off balance. The teacher asked a trick question and caught me up short. The robbers caught Ann off balance and stole her purse.

See also: catch, nap

checks and balances

a system, as in the U.S. Constitution, where power is shared between the various branches of government. The newspaper editor claimed that the system of checks and balances built into our Constitution has been subverted by party politics.

See also: and, check

strike a balance (between two things)

to find a satisfactory compromise between two extremes. The political party must strike a balance between the right wing and the left wing. Jane is overdressed for the party and Sally is underdressed. What a pity they didn't strike a balance between them.

See also: strike

the balance of power

the situation where the power held by one governing body or adversary is balanced by the power of another. The balance of power was threatened when China captured our airplane.

See also: power

throw someone off balance 

1. Lit. to cause someone to falter (and probably fall). The cyclist bumped into me and threw me off balance. I was thrown off balance by the gust of wind.

2. Fig. to confuse or disorient one. Your last question sort of threw me off balance. The teacher was thrown off balance by the students' difficult questions.

See also: throw

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a balancing/juggling act

a difficult situation in which you try to achieve several different things at the same time It's so exhausting having to perform the balancing act between work and family. Keeping both sides in the dispute happy was a difficult juggling act which required an extraordinary degree of diplomacy.

See also: act

be/hang in the balance

if something hangs in the balance, no one knows whether it will continue to exist in the future or what will happen to it Judd's career hung in the balance last night after his team lost their sixth successive game. The financial situation is by no means resolved and the club's future is still very much in the balance.

checks and balances

rules intended to prevent one person or group from having too much power within an organization A system of checks and balances exists to ensure that our government is truly democratic.

See also: and, check

on balance

after thinking about all the different facts or opinions On balance, I would say that it hasn't been a bad year. The report found that, on balance, most people would prefer a female doctor to a male one.

swing/tip the balance

to make something more likely to happen, or to make someone more likely to succeed They were both well-qualified for the job but Ian had more experience and that tipped the balance. The success of this film could tip the balance in favour of other British films in the future.

See throw off balance

See also: swing

throw somebody off balance

to confuse or upset someone for a short time by saying or doing something that they are not expecting (usually passive) I wasn't expecting any interaction with the audience and was thrown off balance by his question.

See also: throw

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catch you napping

to be surprised by something that you have not given attention to I was caught napping by the last storm, but this time I've already got batteries and flashlights and canned food on hand.

See also: catch, nap

hang in the balance

to depend on something for success or continued existence With thousands of jobs hanging in the balance, there's a lot of competition to attract new factories.

Usage notes: sometimes used without hang: They don't think we should get involved, even if lives are in the balance.

See also: hang

off balance

surprised or confused Policy makers were caught off balance by the speed and success of Canada's efforts to ban the weapons.

Usage notes: often used with keep or throw: The stories were part of an effort to keep the antiwar movement off balance.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of off balance (likely to fall)

on balance

after considering everything They felt sure that, on balance, they had made the right choice.

tip the balance

to cause a change, esp. in making something more likely to happen tip the scales One or two senators can tip the balance of power on almost any issue.

See also: tip