tightrope-walk

To walk on a tightrope or on (something) as though on one.

It was just 78 years ago that […] [Charles] Blondin tightrope-walked across the Niagara, […]

An East German circus artist tightrope-walked across a switched-off power line that had been left from pre-wall days.

To take a perilous course between alternatives.

In his speech tonight, McCain, who has backed [George Walker] Bush on such controversial issues as tax cuts and the Iraq war, will have to tightrope-walk his way between saluting Bush and making it clear that he’s something different, that he represents change.

The Onion often tightrope-walks the line between humor and bad taste, but the satirical news site was forced to apologize Monday morning for a distasteful Twitter joke about Quvenzhane Wallis, the nine-year-old star of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

Alternative form of tightrope walk.

[Marshall] Goldberg then rounded his own right end and tightrope-walked the side chalk mark for 18 yards and a first down on the Washington 35.

That’s five innings the hard way for Quakertown, which left eight runners stranded as Pennridge tightrope-walked out of danger. […] Four or five more games like yesterday’s, and the Lady Rams will have tightrope-walked their way deep into the state tournament.