go out on a limb

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Verb

go out on a limb (third-person singular simple present goes out on a limb, present participle going out on a limb, simple past went out on a limb, past participle gone out on a limb)

  1. To take a risk.
    He doesn't want to go out on a limb, but he really should give it a try.
    • 1985 February 9, Sally Jordan, “Consenting Adult (review)”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 29, page 15:
      Consenting Adult is probably worth watching, if only because it's not every day a TV movie is made about gay people. But don't expect too much. As long as groups like the Moral Majority have power, I doubt TV will be going out on much of a limb for us.
  2. To hazard a guess.
    I’m going to go out on a limb here. You’re together?
    • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Just go for it:
      We all see the way you stare at Kessia. From the way you two talk, it sounds like you knew each other on Kadara. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you came here for her.
    • 2025 December 19, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, “Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
      Well, Kevin, as always, I appreciate you going way way out on a limb with these predictions and you know, it's making me wish that I had, you know, perhaps gone further out on a limb.
      (Can we archive this URL?)

Translations

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