thread the needle

thread the needle

1. To insert thread through the eye of a needle. You'll need to thread the needle before you can start sewing.
2. To pass something through a narrow space between two things. The quarterback really threaded the needle with that pass between two defenders.
3. A children's game in which the participants stand in a line and hold hands. The person at the end of the line then ducks under the others' linked arms, pulling the rest of the line along with them. Come on, we're playing thread the needle!
See also: needle, thread
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • eye of the needle
  • the eye of a needle
  • thread through
  • thread through (something)
  • hang by a thread
  • hang by a thread, to
  • hang by a thread/hair
  • trying
  • vaccinated with a gramophone needle
  • vaccinated with a Victrola needle
References in periodicals archive
Thread the needle and bobbin with matching embroidery thread.
One cabinet source told the Mirror Mrs May was out of options and it was "the only way left to thread the needle".
If Mr Khalilzad has the full backing of President Donald Trump, he could thread the needle between the Taliban's demands for a complete withdrawal of US forces and the Afghan government's and, likely, the US's demand for a future political set-up in Afghanistan that is acceptable to them.
I found a manual for it that shows how to time the gears and thread the needle. I have not been able to put it in the field yet but have planted some corn and plan to cut it this fall.
I no longer had to cut the threads, thread the needle, show her where to stitch and help her bury her thread tails.
Can Shahabaz Sharif thread the needle?Only a realistation of the ground realities can enable the PML-N to live to fight another day.
To start, unspool 4 to 5 feet of thread and thread the needle. Pull the thread through the eye until the needle is situated in the middle of the length of thread.
SMB coach Leo Austria continued to thread the needle with prized big man June Mar Fajardo as the veteran mentor keeping the three-time PBA Most Valuable Player on minutes restriction to give him time to recover from his calf injury while also keeping him fresh for the bigger wars ahead.
8 ballot because they failed to thread the needle of the state's ever more difficult requirements for getting voter-initiated issues on the ballot.
"He had to thread the needle, to recognize the work that evening and also to address diversity.
Thread the needle with the wool and pierce a hole a centimetre above the bottom opening of the balloon shape.
With just six minutes gone by, he was able to thread the needle from the left flank with a low through-ball that found the foot of striker Luis Suarez.
Yes we've got struggles in Syria and Middle East and places," he said."Look at huge vast parts of the world where we are able to maintain the calm, able to navigate and thread the needle."
If a letter you're wrapping has holes, you'll need to thread the needle. If not, you can wrap it without the needle.
It is round or nearly round and is the hole, or opening, through which we thread the needle.