touch and go
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touch and go
Where it comes from
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.
adjective more touch and go · most touch and go
- Characterized by brief and transitory encounters. Madam, I’m gone; no wonder, for you know, Lovers' encounters are but touch and go.
- 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.
verb touches and goes · touching and going · touched and went · touched and gone
- 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.
- 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."
- To perform a touch-and-go landing.
Translations
Every language
adj uncertain
| Español | nada certero, al límite |
|---|
Talk about this word "touch and go." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/touch%20and%20go. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. touch and go. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/touch%20and%20go "touch and go." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/touch%20and%20go.Cite this
@misc{touch_and_go_2026,
title = {touch and go},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/touch%20and%20go},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
