touch and go

US: (tuch′ən gō′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

touch′ and go′, 

1. a precarious or delicate state of affairs:
   It was touch and go there for a while during the operation.
2. quick action or movement:
   the touch and go of city traffic.
• 1645–55

touch-and-go  (tuch′ən gō′), adj. 

1. risky;
   precarious:
   a touch-and-go descent down the mountain.
2. hasty, sketchy, or desultory.

• 1805–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

touch and go adjective

1. (touch-and-go when prenominal) risky or critical: a touch-and-go situation

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈtouch-and-ˈgo, adj. 

1. doubtful or uncertain as to the result;
   precarious:
   The election was touch-and-go right to the end.