be on the brink of a precipice

be on the brink of a precipice
(be (или stand) on the brink (или edge) of a precipice)
стоять на краю пропасти, быть в опасном положении; см. тж. on the edge of a volcano

Sir Robert Chiltern: "I cannot do what you ask me." Mrs. Cheveley: "You mean you cannot help doing it. You know you are standing on the edge of a precipice. And it is not for you to make terms. It is for you accept them." (O. Wilde, ‘An Ideal Husband’, act I) — Сэр Роберт Чилтерн: "Я не могу этого сделать." Миссис Чивли: "То есть вы не можете этого не сделать. Вы отлично знаете, что стоите на краю пропасти. Не вам диктовать условия. Вам остается только их принять."

For years before 1914 Europe stood on the brink of a precipice. (UED) — В годы, предшествующие 1914, Европа стояла на краю пропасти.


Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь. - М.: «Русский язык-Медиа».. 2006.

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