balance (redirected from throwing off balance)

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.

See also: hang

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: 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 also: swing, tip

throw someone off balance

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

See also: throw

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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. One or two senators can tip the balance of power on almost any issue.

See also: tip