thread the needle meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

thread the needle

verb

Etymology From the analogy of passing a thread through the eye of a needle, which requires great focus and precision to accomplish.

Idiomatic To perform a tedious task with extreme precision; to manage to find harmony or strike a balance between conflicting forces, interests, etc.

Were I writing for the Court, I would seek to thread the needle between acknowledging Principal Morse's authority, on the one hand, while respecting student Frederick's rights, on the other.2010, James C. Foster, Bong Hits 4 Jesus: A Perfect Constitutional Storm in Alaska's Capital, University of Alaska Press, published 2010, →ISBN, page 215:
It was likely any resolution was going to seem like an anti-climax, and I thought this reveal threaded the needle quite well.2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick And Morty ends its fifth season looking for an escape hatch”, in AV Club:

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Skydiving, Sports To fly through a narrow gap; typically using a wingsuit.

noun

Etymology From the analogy of passing a thread through the eye of a needle, which requires great focus and precision to accomplish.

A game in which children stand in a row, joining hands, and in which the outer one, still holding their neighbor, runs between the others.