am seidenen Faden hängen

to hang by a thread

Türkçe: pamuk ipliğine bağlı olmak

Noun

Faden m.

Verb

hängen

Topic

Alltag und Redewendungen

In a sentence

Nach dem Unfall hängt sein Leben am seidenen Faden.

How it is used

Idiom meaning 'to hang by a thread' (core: extreme precariousness). Neutral to dramatic, used for life, career, or projects. A doctor might say 'Sein Leben hängt am seidenen Faden' about a critical patient. Common mistake: using for minor risks.

Other verbs that go with Faden

This is the choice the collocation turns on.

• den Faden verlierento lose one's train of thought
• den Faden aufnehmento resume a conversation or activity

All collocations with Faden

Other collocations built on hängen

• an die große Glocke hängento blab a secret publicly
• sein Herz an etw. hängento become very attached to something/someone
• in der Luft hängento be left hanging
• in den Seilen hängento be exhausted/on the verge of defeat