Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - high wire

also high-wire (high wires) 1. A high wire is a length of rope or wire stretched tight high above the ground and used for balancing acts. = tightrope N-COUNT 2. Journalists talk about a person being on a high wire or performing a high-wire act when he or she is dealing with a situation in which it would be easy to do the wrong thing. This year’s Budget looks set to be a precarious high-wire act for the Chancellor. N-SING: oft N n