dangerous

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armed and dangerous

Possessing a weapon and likely to use it. Typically said of criminals, especially fugitives. The most wanted fugitives on this list are all considered armed and dangerous.

on shaky ground

Questionable or lacking support, as of an idea. His hypothesis has been on shaky ground to since the beginning, so I'm not surprised that he couldn't prove it in the lab.

live dangerously

To lead a lifestyle characterized by taking risks. Sometimes used humorously to refer to a very mildly risky action. Most of the guys I know who live dangerously eventually get tired of life in the fast lane and end up settling down. A: "Extra hot sauce?" B: "Yeah, I like to live dangerously."

on dangerous ground

Likely to upset or offend others. I may be on dangerous ground with this opinion, but, as a mother myself, I really don't think women should breastfeed in public. The edgy comic likes to tread dangerous ground with his stand-up routine.

*armed and dangerous

Cliché [of someone who is suspected of a crime] having a gun or other lethal weapon and not being reluctant to use it. (This is part of a warning to police officers who might try to capture an armed suspect. *Typically: be ~; be regarded as ~; be presumed to be ~.) The murderer is at large, presumed to be armed and dangerous. The suspect has killed once and is armed and dangerous.

little knowledge is a dangerous thing

and little learning is a dangerous thing

Prov. Cliché If you only know a little about something, you may feel you are qualified to make judgments when, in fact, you are not. After Bill read one book on the history of Venezuela, he felt he was an authority on the subject, but he wound up looking like a fool in discussions with people who knew a lot more about it than he did. A little learning is a dangerous thing.

See also: dangerous, knowledge, little, thing

on shaky ground

and on dangerous ground

Fig. [of an idea or proposal] on an unstable or questionable foundation; [of an idea or proposal] founded on a risky premise. When you suggest that we are to blame, you are on shaky ground. There is no evidence that we are at fault. The case for relying solely on nuclear energy seems to be on dangerous ground.

little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a

Also, a little learning is a dangerous thing. Knowing a little about something tempts one to overestimate one's abilities. For example, I know you've assembled furniture, but that doesn't mean you can build an entire wall system; remember, a little knowledge . This maxim, originally a line from Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1709), has been repeated with slight variations ever since. It is still heard, although less frequently, and sometimes shortened, as in the example.

live dangerously

Take numerous risks, be daring, as in Bill never knows if he'll have enough money to pay the next month's rent-he likes to live dangerously . This expression figured in the work of such 19th-century German writers as Nietzsche, who regarded it as an admirable course of action. Today it is often used with mildly humorous effect, as in the example. [c. 1900]

dangerous ˈground

a situation or subject that is likely to make somebody angry, or that involves risk: We’d be on dangerous ground if we asked about race or religion.