hang (on) by a hair
To be perilously close to failing, dying, or resulting in a bad outcome. After the loss, the team's chances of getting into the championships are hanging on by a hair. Her life hung by a hair as medics rushed her to the hospital. I'm warning you, Davis, you're hanging by a hair! One more slip up, and you're fired!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hang by a hair
and hang by a thread 1. Lit. to hang by something very thin, such as a thread or a hair. The tiniest part of the mobile hung by a thread, the rest are on plastic cords.
2. and hang on by a hair; hang on by a thread Fig. to depend on something very insubstantial; to hang in the balance. Your whole argument is hanging by a thread. John isn't failing geometry, but his passing grade is just hanging by a hair.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.