Definition
“Touch and go” functions as an adjective and is used to say a situation is uncertain.
For example – “The tennis match going ahead this afternoon is touch and go due to bad weather.”
Clip 1
The first clip is from the series Gourmet Detective: Roux The Day. Two detectives are questioning a restaurant owner about the financial situation of her business. She explains that despite the first year of owning a restaurant being “touch and go” (uncertain) the business is currently doing fine.
Clip 2
This clip comes from the movie Hangman. The woman in the clip is responding to being asked about the condition of a woman who was attacked. She responds by saying it was “touch and go” but that the woman is now stable. Meaning that it looked uncertain if she would survive but she managed to pull through.
Clip 3
Again, we have another medical scenario which is the most common situation you will hear the phrase “touch and go” used. This clip is from the movie Malicious and the husband is given news that although it was “touch and go” (uncertain) if his wife was going to survive, in the end, she was okay.
Clip 4
This clip comes from the British reality competition series The Great British Bake Off. The man in the clip Noel Fielding is one of the co-hosts of the show and he jokes to one of the participants that even he feels his place on the show is uncertain. This is why he says “I’m not sure I’m even getting through to the final. It’s touch and for me.”