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on the edge

Date: Jan 25 2001

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle…Yeah, all men right on the edge.”

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

unstable, undergoing changes, lacking control of one’s emotions, unable to make decisions about life

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

People can be on the edge for many reasons. Most often, you should use this phrase to describe a person who is having trouble in some area of his or her life. However, being on the edge is not necessarily a bad thing. Some people like being on the edge. Some people live their entire lives on the edge because they enjoy being a little bit out of control.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

””This job is making me crazy! I’m really on the edge right now. I think I’m going to quit.” “My girlfriend is on the edge. She’s so worried about doing well in school that she can’t eat, she can’t sleep and she can’t relax.” “Mike totally lives on the edge. He gets drunk every night. He parties every weekend. He doesn’t care about anybody but himself. I’m worried about him.”“

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

‘On the edge’ in the position of risk, excitment from danger. Some people like living on the edge, for instant, stunt men or gangsters.
by Lena (Kiev, Ukraine)
I guess “on the edge” means “to be in a situation in which you are so upset, tired, etc. that it would be easy to have mental problems” or “to be in a situation in which something bad or dangerous could easily happen.”
by Lino (Milano, Italy)
I guess the meaning of “on the edge” means “nervous, neurotic”.
by Shirley (Guangdong, China)
I believe,in this case,that “(to be) on the edge” means to be in a situation in which you are so upset,tired,..that it would be easy to have mental problems.
by Javier (Barcelona, Spain)
I think ‘on the edge’ means a kind of exiting, or something like that.
by Yeong (Seoul, South Korea)
I think it’s when a person is in his/her limit.
by Katia (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

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