Where does the expression hanging by a thread come from?

Where does the expression hanging by a thread come from?

The term hanging by a thread, derives from the banquet that King Dionysius held for Damocles, a courtier of ancient Syracuse. King Dionysius was beginning to become annoyed with Damocles’ constant flattery of his king. He invited him to a banquet, where Damocles was seated under a sword suspended by a single hair.

What does by a thread mean?

phrase. If you say that something is hanging by a thread, you mean that it is in a very uncertain state and is unlikely to survive or succeed. The fragile peace was hanging by a thread as thousands of hardliners took to the streets.

How do you use thread hanging in a sentence?

depend on a small thing or be at risk.

1. His life hung by a thread.
2. The player’s career is hanging by a thread after this latest injury to his knee.
3. The mayor’s political future has been hanging by a thread since the fraud scandal.
4. He is still in hospital, his life hanging by a thread.

Is hanging on by a thread a metaphor?

Be in a risky or unstable situation, as in His promotion was hanging by a thread, or With the lead actor sick, the success of our play hung by a hair. This expression, already proverbial in the early 1500s, alludes to Damocles, who vexed King Dionysius with constant flattery.

When you are hanging on by a thread make sure it is the hem of his garment?

“When you’re hanging on by a thread, make sure it’s the Hem of His Garment.” Do you know how powerful that statement is? Life can be cruel, life can be stressful, life throws us all sorts of curveballs, but if we just hang on to the hem of his garment, everything’s gonna be okay.

What do you mean by Hang?

: to suspend by the neck until dead especially as a form of execution —often hanged in the past tense. intransitive verb. 1 : to die by hanging —often hanged in the past tense he hanged for his crimes.

What is thread in social media?

A thread is a string of messages that make up a conversation. Threads begin with an initial message and then continue as a series of replies or comments. Threads are essential to keeping track of conversations in most forms of online communication, including social media and email.

What does the Bible say about touching the hem of his garment?

“If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed.” This was said by a broken woman who was looking for healing. Bleeding for 12 years, she was considered an outcast. The scripture records, “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” (Mark 5:29).

What does it mean “hanging by a thread”?

hang by a thread. 1. Literally, to be attached only by single thread, strand, or something similar. If that button is only hanging by a thread, you’re bound to lose it during the course of the day. 2. To be perilously close to failing, dying, or resulting in a bad outcome.

What does the idiom hanging by a thread mean?

If something is hanging by a thread, it usually denotes that it is ready to fall apart or that the situation can change in an instant. The phrase can be applied to physical things, situations, and ideas. The term hanging by a thread, derives from the banquet that King Dionysius held for Damocles , a courtier of ancient Syracuse.

What is another word for hanging by a thread?

Synonyms for hang by a thread include risk, endanger, hazard, imperil, jeopardise, jeopardize, venture, gamble, dare and compromise. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com!

What is the meaning of the idiom hangs by a thread?

“hang by a thread” in English. › If a serious situation hangs by a thread, it means that even a slight change can decide what will happen and that a bad result such as death, failure, etc. is likely: The mayor’s political future has been hanging by a thread since the fraud scandal.