thread the needle

present singular third person threads the needle · participle present threading the needle · participle past threaded the needle · past threaded the needle · alternative verb thread a needle

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

   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

   1 more example

   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

2. hobbiesTo fly through a narrow gap; typically using a wingsuit.

alternative verb thread a needle

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

   Synonyms: thread needle