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touch and go

adj

Etymology

The original sense, now obsolete, seems to have been that of brief encounters. The subsequent nautical sense then gave rise first to the abstract sense (indicating a hazardous situation) and later, by physical analogy, to the aeronautical sense.

Definitions

  1. Characterized by brief and transitory encounters.

    • Madam, I’m gone; no wonder, for you know, Lovers' encounters are but touch and go.

  2. Precarious, delicate, risky, sensitive

    Precarious, delicate, risky, sensitive; of uncertain outcome (by analogy with a ship in shallow water).

    • His condition was touch and go for a time after the accident, but they think he will recover.
    • I could sense it was touch and go whether I could get the lay.

  3. To briefly encounter before moving on.

    • As the text doth rise, I will touch and go a little in euery place, untill I come unto too much.
  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. To touch bottom lightly and continue without damage, as a vessel in motion.

      • Whilst they were disputing the vessel touched the ground, but soon got off again. "Ay," says the captain, "he is a good pilot that can touch and go."

    2. To perform a touch-and-go landing.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for touch and go. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA