tiptoe through a minefield: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  generalinformalfigurativeMachine
  • To proceed very cautiously in a situation that contains hidden risks, sensitivities, or potential for severe consequences.
  • To handle a delicate matter with extreme care to avoid offence, conflict, or serious error.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Negotiating the contract with the sensitive client felt like tiptoeing through a minefield; one wrong word could ruin everything.

    Negociar el contrato con el cliente sensible se sintió como caminar entre minas; una palabra equivocada podría arruinarlo todo.

  • Anna had to tiptoe through a minefield during the family reunion, carefully avoiding topics that would cause arguments.

    Anna tuvo que andar con mucho cuidado durante la reunión familiar, evitando temas que pudieran causar discusiones.

  • When dealing with the new regulations, the legal team is tiptoeing through a minefield to ensure full compliance without risking penalties.

    Al tratar con las nuevas regulaciones, el equipo legal avanza con mucho cuidado para asegurar el cumplimiento total sin arriesgar sanciones.

• 2.

  generalneutralliteralMachine
  • To walk cautiously across an area that actually contains land mines, taking deliberate steps to avoid detonating them.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The soldiers carefully tiptoed through a minefield during the night mission to avoid triggering any explosives.

    Los soldados caminaron cuidadosamente entre un campo de minas durante la misión nocturna para evitar detonar explosivos.

  • We had to tiptoe through a minefield of debris left from the recent conflict while trying to evacuate the area.

    Tuvimos que andar con mucho cuidado entre un campo de minas de escombros dejados por el reciente conflicto mientras intentábamos evacuar la zona.

  • The deminers tiptoed through the minefield, detecting and disarming each device with utmost precision.

    Los desminadores caminaron con cuidado por el campo de minas, detectando y desactivando cada dispositivo con la máxima precisión.

  • As part of their training, the recruits were taught how to tiptoe through a minefield without causing any detonations.

    Como parte de su entrenamiento, a los reclutas se les enseñó cómo caminar entre un campo de minas sin causar detonaciones.