Sull’orlo dell’abisso in Italian
| Literal translation | On the brink of the abyss |
| Meaning | To be in a very dangerous situation, to be close to ruin |
| IPA pronunciation | /sulˈlɔrlo ˈdellaˈbisso/ |
Sull’orlo dell’abisso
On the brink of disaster
This idiom is very commonly found with the verbs essere, to be, and camminare, to walk.
Where does this come from? When you are on the brink of an abyss, you are a step away from a dramatic fall (rovinosa caduta). This idiom is not to be taken literally. In this case, falling means failing or taking a huge risk.
For example, you can say…
Federico non si accorse di essere sull’orlo dell’abisso.
Federico did not realize that he is on the brink of disaster.
Stiamo camminando sull’orlo dell’abisso.
We are walking on the brink of disaster.
➡️ Related lessons
- Orlo (brink)
- Abisso (abyss)
- Di (preposition)
- Su (preposition)
- Prepositions
- All Italian expressions
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