English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions 

SAFETY and DANGER, page 1

from:  'batten down the hatches'   to:  'by a hair's breadth'

• batten down the hatches
  • When you batten down the hatches, you prepare yourself for danger or a forthcoming difficult period, like a ship preparing for a storm.
    "Here comes that trouble-making guy. Batten down the hatches!"
    
    
• calculated risk
  • A calculated risk is a risk taken with full knowledge of the dangers involved.
    "The company took a calculated risk when they hired Sean straight out of college."
    
    
• throw caution to the wind
  • If you throw caution to the wind, you start taking risks and stop worrying about the danger involved.
    "I decided to throw caution to the wind and invest in my best friend's new company."
    
    
• (a) close shave
  • The term a close shave is used to describe a situation where an accident or a disaster nearly happened.
    "I almost hit the child who ran out in front of my car. It was a close shave"
    
    
• (the) coast is clear
  • To say that the coast is clear means that there is no danger in sight or that nobody can see you.
    "OK. The dog has gone inside. The coast is clear."
    
    
• cry wolf
  • To cry wolf is to call for help when you are not really in danger. As a result, nobody believes you when you really need help.
    "There's Mary screaming again! Does she really have a problem or is she just crying wolf again?"
    
    
• dice with death
  • If you put your life at risk by doing something very dangerous, you dice with death.
    "Going mountain-climbing alone is dicing with death."
    
    
• dicey situation
  • Any situation that is potentially risky or dangerous is called a dicey situation.
    "The politician put himself in a dicey situation by getting involved with an intern."
    
    
• dodge a bullet
  • If you dodge a bullet, you narrowly avoid a very serious problem or a disaster.
    "I dodged a bullet when I missed the plane. It crashed just after take-off."
    
    
  false move
  • In a dangerous or risky situation, if you make a false move, you
    do something which may have unpleasant consequences.
    "He is under close surveillance. If he makes one false move he'll be arrested."
    
    
• fraught with danger
  • An activity or situation that is fraught with dangeris full of risks or serious difficulties.
    "His journey across the mountains was fraught with danger."
    
    
• by a hair's breadth
  • If you avoid or miss something by a hair's breadth, you manage to escape from a danger by the smallest possible distance or margin.
    "A slate fell off the roof and missed the child by a hair's breadth."