live on the edge

present singular third person lives on the edge · participle present living on the edge · participle past lived on the edge · past lived on the edge

1. idiomaticTo have an adventurous or perilous lifestyle; to behave in a manner which creates risks for oneself.

   "I like living on the edge," said Mr. Wertz, adding that, although winter fishing is far more dangerous, it is also more lucrative.

   1989 November 26, Linda Saslow, “Dragging The Ocean For Winter's Bounty”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 Oct 2011

   3 more examples

   Your idea that murder is the objective correlative of spiritual death, a metaphor for our daily lives, is fascinating. Is living on the edge thrilling and an interesting way to live?

   1983, Diana Cooper-Clark, Designs of Darkness: Interviews with Detective Novelists

   I wanted a chance to get out, to live life on the edge.[…] All right! All right. I can understand you wanting some excitement. But do you have any idea what you're getting involved in here?

   1984, “A Good Knight's Work”, in Knight Rider

   The President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, seems to relish living on the edge. . . . Having narrowly won a second four-year term last year after surviving an apparent assassination attempt, Chen, 54, will remain in office until 2008.

   2005 April 18, Michael Elliott, “Leaders & Revolutionaries: Chen Shui-bian”, in Time

2. idiomaticTo be caught in an economic or societal situation which one did not choose, which threatens one's well-being or life, and which causes distress.

   "The bombing was a sudden jolt and we are back to living on the edge again," said Gonsherovsky, 23, in Jerusalem's crowded Mahane Yehuda market.

   2006 April 19, “Tel Aviv bombing shatters lull in violence”, in IOL News (Reuters-Sapa-AP), retrieved 13 Oct 2011

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   Any yet what we are talking about today is a threat to life, for 36 million very important Americans living on the margin so to speak, living on the edge, certainly, and living in wonderment as to whether or not they are going to be treated fairly in this process.

   1982, William R. Ratchford, Hearing Before the Select Committee on Aging / House of Representatives

   "The last thing Lesotho needed was another poor harvest since so many vulnerable people are already living on the edge, struggling to cope with the combined impact of successive crop failures, extreme poverty and HIV/Aids," said Amir Abdulla, WFP's regional director for Southern Africa.

   2007 June 13, Tiisetso Motsoeneng, “Drought leaves Lesotho facing food crisis”, in Mail & Guardian, South Africa, retrieved 13 Oct 2011