på hal is

Swedish

Etymology

på (“on”) +‎ hal (“slippery”) +‎ is (“ice”)

Prepositional phrase

på hal is

1. (idiomatic) in a risky situation (that one has put oneself into, and does not have command of); on thin ice, on a slippery slope, etc.

   De är ute på hal is när de rekommenderar folk att sluta utan avvänjning

   They are skating on thin ice when they advise people to quit without weaning off

Usage notes

Commonly as "vara ute på hal is" (be out on slippery ice).

See also

• vara ute på djupt vatten

References

• is in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• is in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)