What does it mean for something to hang in the balance?
Be in a precarious condition or in a state of suspense. For example, The doctor said her life was hanging in the balance. This expression alludes to the suspended balance scale where an object is placed in one pan and weights are added one by one to the other pan until the two are balanced. [ First half of 1400s]
What is a word for remaining balance?
What is another word for remaining amount?
| difference | remainder |
|---|---|
| balance | rest |
| excess | extra |
| remains | residue |
| residuum | outstanding amount |
Is hang in the balance an idiom?
(idiomatic) To be in a precarious situation, unsure of the future. His life was left hanging in the balance after being shot in the side.
What is the vocabulary word for balance?
synonyms: counterbalance, equilibrium, equipoise. types: conformation. a symmetrical arrangement of the parts of a thing. proportion, symmetry.
Where did the term hanging in the balance come from?
The unknown weight here is fate—that is, the outcome. The expression dates at least from the fifteenth century; it appeared in John Lydgate’s translation of the Fall of Princes (1430) and has been used ever since.
What is the meaning of Pend?
pend. / (pɛnd) / verb (intr) to await judgment or settlement. dialect to hang; depend.
What is the synonym of consumed?
eat, eat up, devour, ingest, swallow, gobble, gobble up, wolf down, gorge oneself on, feast on. munch, snack on. drink, drink up, guzzle, gulp, gulp down, swill, imbibe, take, sup, sip, lap.
Where does hanging in the balance come from?
What is the adjective of balance?
adjective. /ˈbælənst/ [usually before noun] (approving) keeping or showing a balance so that different things or different parts of something exist in equal or correct amounts The program presented a balanced view of the two sides of the conflict.
What does hang in the air mean?
: to be incomplete or uncertain The design of the new currency is still hanging in the air.
What’s the difference between pending and pended?
As verbs the difference between pend and pended is that pend is (obsolete) to hang down or pend can be (obsolete|transitive) to pen; to confine or pend can be to consider pending; to delay or postpone (something) while pended is (pend).