What does the expression «to hang by a thread» mean?
There is nothing good about, say, your life “висит на волоске” (“vysit na voloske”) or “to hang by a thread”. Where did this expression come from?
In Mikhail Bulgakov's novel ‘The Master and Margarita’, Yeshua asks the procurator Pontius Pilate if he wants to hear an oath from his lips. To which he replies: "Well, at least by your life, it's high time to swear by it, since it hangs by a thread, know that!" And he reminds: "I can cut this thread."
The expression "vysit na voloske" is associated with the legend of the Sword of Damocles. The courtier Damocles did not hide his envy of Dionysius the Elder, the tyrant of Syracuse. The latter invited him to a feast and offered him to take the throne - so that he would understand how easy it is to be a ruler. Damocles did not immediately notice that a sword was hanging over his head, secured only by a horsehair. At any moment, it threatened to break loose and kill the one sitting on the throne. So, his life (or death) literally was hanging by a thread.
The meaning of this expression has remained unchanged: “to hang by a thread” means to be in great danger, a moment away from death.
