What it means
Used when something’s hanging in the balance and could go brilliantly or fall apart on one tiny detail. It’s the phrase you wheel out for deadlines, tight games, dodgy weather, or any plan held together with hope and a bit of gaffer tape. Pilots even say it for a quick landing and take-off, which says it all.
Usage examples
"Boss reckons the launch is tomorrow, but the server’s having a wobble and Gary’s just bricked the laptop with tea. Touch and go, mate."
"It was touch and go whether the train would make the connection, we legged it down the platform with seconds to spare."
"After the surgery it was touch and go for a night, but by morning he was sitting up asking for toast."
Where it comes from
Sailors coined it for the heart-stopping moment a ship’s keel scraped the seabed and, by sheer luck, slid off again without running aground. One wrong inch and it was a wreck. Pilots later borrowed it for a landing that barely kisses the runway before lifting off again.
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