dangerous

Possessing a weapon and likely to use it. Typically said of criminals, especially fugitives. The most wanted fugitives on this list are all considered armed and dangerous.

Cliché [of someone who is suspected of a crime] having a gun or other lethal weapon and not being reluctant to use it. (This is part of a warning to police officers who might try to capture an armed suspect. *Typically: be ~; be regarded as ~; be presumed to be ~.) The murderer is at large, presumed to be armed and dangerous. The suspect has killed once and is armed and dangerous.

Prov. Cliché If you only know a little about something, you may feel you are qualified to make judgments when, in fact, you are not. After Bill read one book on the history of Venezuela, he felt he was an authority on the subject, but he wound up looking like a fool in discussions with people who knew a lot more about it than he did. A little learning is a dangerous thing.

Fig. [of an idea or proposal] on an unstable or questionable foundation; [of an idea or proposal] founded on a risky premise. When you suggest that we are to blame, you are on shaky ground. There is no evidence that we are at fault. The case for relying solely on nuclear energy seems to be on dangerous ground.

likely to cause offense I know I'm on dangerous ground here, but it is a fact that some women do not find motherhood to be a magical experience.

not supported very well Despite high retail prices and growing demand, the beef industry is still on shaky ground.

to not worry about the risks involved in your actions She always felt a powerful attraction to men who lived dangerously.

if you are on dangerous ground, you are talking about a subject which might upset or offend people The author is on dangerous ground when he starts criticizing modern women's literature. She sensed she was treading on dangerous ground when her father began to look rather annoyed.

Also, a little learning is a dangerous thing. Knowing a little about something tempts one to overestimate one's abilities. For example, I know you've assembled furniture, but that doesn't mean you can build an entire wall system; remember, a little knowledge . This maxim, originally a line from Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1709), has been repeated with slight variations ever since. It is still heard, although less frequently, and sometimes shortened, as in the example.

Take numerous risks, be daring, as in Bill never knows if he'll have enough money to pay the next month's rent-he likes to live dangerously . This expression figured in the work of such 19th-century German writers as Nietzsche, who regarded it as an admirable course of action. Today it is often used with mildly humorous effect, as in the example. [c. 1900]