out on a ledge

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative

   In a risky, exposed position with no support or safe way back.

   Grammar: Used after be or verbs like leave and put: 'We're out on a ledge here.'

   Patterns

   • be out on a ledge
   • leave someone out on a ledge
   • put someone out on a ledge

   After the boss quit, the whole team felt out on a ledge with no one to back them.

   He took the blame for the failed deal and was left out on a ledge by his own managers.

   Saying that on live radio put her out on a ledge, and no one in the party defended her.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative

   In a state of extreme emotional strain, as if about to break down.

   Grammar: Often used with feel or be; it describes a person's mental state, not a place.

   Patterns

   • feel out on a ledge
   • be out on a ledge

   With the deadline, the baby, and no sleep, she said she felt out on a ledge.

   Call your brother tonight; he sounded completely out on a ledge after the news.

Common combinations

be out on a ledge

Without the data, we're out on a ledge in this meeting.

leave someone out on a ledge

The paper left its reporter out on a ledge by refusing to comment.

put someone out on a ledge

You put me out on a ledge when you promised a discount I never agreed to.

feel out on a ledge

He felt out on a ledge after all his friends moved away.

out on a ledge with someone

I'm out on a ledge with you on this one, so please don't change your story.

Synonyms and how they differ

exposed

Describes having no protection, and it works in neutral, factual contexts where the idiom would sound too dramatic.

vulnerable

Focuses on being easily harmed or criticized; it is more formal and does not carry the image of having nowhere to step back to.

on the spot

Means being put in an awkward position where you must answer or act, but it does not suggest the same danger of falling.

Opposites

Word family

ledge noun

A narrow flat shelf, especially one sticking out from a wall or cliff.

Commonly confused: out on a ledge or on edge? out on a ledge or on the ledge?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “out on a ledge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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