A high wire is a length of rope or wire stretched tight high above the ground and used for balancing acts.
2. singular noun [oft NOUN noun]
Journalists talk about a person being on a high wire or performing a high-wire act when he or she is dealing with a situation in which it would be easy to do the wrong thing.
This year's Budget looks set to be a precarious high-wire act for the Chancellor.
high wire in British English
noun
a tightrope stretched high in the air for balancing acts
high wire in American English
US
a cable or wire stretched high above the ground, on which aerialists perform; tightrope
Examples of 'high wire' in a sentence
high wire
It was situated some way from the rest of the campus, in a field surrounded by a high wire fence.
Brandon, Ruth LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE (2001)
In mid-stride she hit the high wire fence, and clung on to it to stop herself falling as she bounced back.
Ruell, Patrick THE ONLY GAME (2001)
She wobbled like a performer on a high wire, sensing the curve of the branch beneath her arches.