hang by a thread

An allusion to the anecdotal sword of Damocles, which was suspended by a hair.

• "A giant section of an Antarctic ice shelf is hanging by a thread and could break off at any moment, researchers have revealed."
• "Life in the SCP universe continually hangs by a thread, threatened constantly by the existence of a number of dangerous and apocalyptic anomalies. These threats are countered and contained by the existence of organizations such as the SCP Foundation or the Global Occult Coalition."
• "Do you ever get a little bit tired of life / Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die / Like you're hanging by a thread, but you gotta survive / 'Cause you gotta survive"

• hang by a hair