live on the edge

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

to live on the edge (third-person singular simple present lives on the edge, present participle living on the edge, simple past and past participle lived on the edge)

1. (idiomatic) To have an adventurous or perilous lifestyle; to behave in a manner which creates risks for oneself.
   • 1983, Diana Cooper-Clark, Designs of Darkness: Interviews with Detective Novelists‎^[1]:

     Your idea that murder is the objective correlative of spiritual death, a metaphor for our daily lives, is fascinating. Is living on the edge thrilling and an interesting way to live?

   • 1984, “A Good Knight's Work”, in Knight Rider:

     I wanted a chance to get out, to live life on the edge. […] All right! All right. I can understand you wanting some excitement. But do you have any idea what you're getting involved in here?

   • 1989 November 26, Linda Saslow, “Dragging The Ocean For Winter's Bounty”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 October 2011:

     "I like living on the edge," said Mr. Wertz, adding that, although winter fishing is far more dangerous, it is also more lucrative.

   • 2005 April 18, Michael Elliott, “Leaders & Revolutionaries: Chen Shui-bian”, in Time:

     The President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, seems to relish living on the edge. . . . Having narrowly won a second four-year term last year after surviving an apparent assassination attempt, Chen, 54, will remain in office until 2008.

2. (idiomatic) To be caught in an economic or societal situation which one did not choose, which threatens one's well-being or life, and which causes distress.
   • 1982, William R. Ratchford, Hearing Before the Select Committee on Aging / House of Representatives‎^[2]:

     Any yet what we are talking about today is a threat to life, for 36 million very important Americans living on the margin so to speak, living on the edge, certainly, and living in wonderment as to whether or not they are going to be treated fairly in this process.

   • 2006 April 19, “Tel Aviv bombing shatters lull in violence”, in IOL News (Reuters-Sapa-AP), retrieved 13 October 2011:

     "The bombing was a sudden jolt and we are back to living on the edge again," said Gonsherovsky, 23, in Jerusalem's crowded Mahane Yehuda market.

   • 2007 June 13, Tiisetso Motsoeneng, “Drought leaves Lesotho facing food crisis”, in Mail & Guardian, South Africa, retrieved 13 October 2011:

     "The last thing Lesotho needed was another poor harvest since so many vulnerable people are already living on the edge, struggling to cope with the combined impact of successive crop failures, extreme poverty and HIV/Aids," said Amir Abdulla, WFP's regional director for Southern Africa.

Related terms

• on edge
• on the edge
• on the edge of
• on the edge of one's seat

 

References

• “live on the edge”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.