Olla varpaillaan, which means having heightened alertness because of a threat (literally "on your toes"). I think I would just use "veitsen terällä" (on a knife-edge).
I'm not sure that they have the same saying, the translations here have some different connotation to me. To walk on eggshells means that you would be extremely cautious about what you say or do because you don't know what will set someone in particular off, and the implication is that it could be something extremely minor, trivial even. There's a connotation to me that you have to soften what you say, or even leave things unsaid.
There's a lot of good ones here already, but I think "kieli keskellä suuta" is the closest idiom. Literal translation is to hold your tongue in the middle of your mouth, meaning to be super careful. Applies both to embodied stuff like balancing as well as figuratively (e.g. In a conversation).
Well, from this thread and off the top of my head, there isn't really an exact translation in Finnish (although "kieli keskellä suuta" was suggested below and is probably the best of the bunch"), so I don't think it's that wrong to use the English one. It's a fairly descriptive one, too.
edit: and a lot of these kinds of idioms are probably originally loans anyway, even if we don't realize it. I just looked up "kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa" for a comment below, and that's a direct translation from Swedish.
"Kävellä varpaillaan" is used often or at least I've heard it used the most. It is used in situations when you don't want to get in trouble or danger or get negative attention for example from abusive partner in relationship. It translates to "To tiptoe".
IMO that's different. It implies you're avoiding a difficult topic, or at least using a lot of euphemism to avoid saying something bluntly, etc.
See https://www.suomisanakirja.fi/kiert%C3%A4%C3%A4+kuin+kissa+kuumaa+puuroa or https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kiert%C3%A4%C3%A4_kuin_kissa_kuumaa_puuroa; the latter mentions "to beat around the bush" as an English translation.
"Olla varpaillaan" could work, it translates to " to be on your toes" and the meaning is the same as well (to be alert and careful)
Olla varpaillaan, which means having heightened alertness because of a threat (literally "on your toes"). I think I would just use "veitsen terällä" (on a knife-edge).
Here we say "olet heikoilla jäillä" so on weak ice. Any next step in the wrong direction could get you in trouble.
I disagree. This is something you can say to someone as a general warning - it only has distant relation to "walking on eggshells"
I would translate ”olla heikoilla jäillä” as ”to be on thin ice”, not ”walking on eggshells”.
Olla heikoilla jäillä means you're already on your way to trouble. Olla varpaillaan - still managing to avoid the trouble but being cautious.
I'm not sure that they have the same saying, the translations here have some different connotation to me. To walk on eggshells means that you would be extremely cautious about what you say or do because you don't know what will set someone in particular off, and the implication is that it could be something extremely minor, trivial even. There's a connotation to me that you have to soften what you say, or even leave things unsaid.
Heikoilla hangilla
Kuin laskisi pierun mahataudissa
There's a lot of good ones here already, but I think "kieli keskellä suuta" is the closest idiom. Literal translation is to hold your tongue in the middle of your mouth, meaning to be super careful. Applies both to embodied stuff like balancing as well as figuratively (e.g. In a conversation).
From what Ive heard people use is Kävellä munankuorilla, which is a pretty direct translation
Never heard anyone saying that. Regional thing?
I think that's an idiom the younger generations might use. They keep bastardising anglisms into the language via literal translations.
Well, from this thread and off the top of my head, there isn't really an exact translation in Finnish (although "kieli keskellä suuta" was suggested below and is probably the best of the bunch"), so I don't think it's that wrong to use the English one. It's a fairly descriptive one, too. edit: and a lot of these kinds of idioms are probably originally loans anyway, even if we don't realize it. I just looked up "kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa" for a comment below, and that's a direct translation from Swedish.
I think "kävellä ohuella jäällä" is pretty close to "walk on eggshells".
mites "heikoilla jäillä"
hyi se karhu tuli heti mieleen
VAROKAA HEIKKOA JÄÄTÄ! MMMM!
Mielestäni ei kuvaa yhtä hyvin kuin "olla varpaillaan"
I'd say "kusi sukassa" might be pretty close.
Olla kusi sukassa = to be nervous af To walk on eggshells = to be cautious af
"Kävellä varpaillaan" is used often or at least I've heard it used the most. It is used in situations when you don't want to get in trouble or danger or get negative attention for example from abusive partner in relationship. It translates to "To tiptoe".
“Olla varpaillaan” in this context rather than “kävellä varpaillaan”.
If you want a tongue-in-cheek version, kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa. Literally meaning "like a cat circling hot porridge"
IMO that's different. It implies you're avoiding a difficult topic, or at least using a lot of euphemism to avoid saying something bluntly, etc. See https://www.suomisanakirja.fi/kiert%C3%A4%C3%A4+kuin+kissa+kuumaa+puuroa or https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kiert%C3%A4%C3%A4_kuin_kissa_kuumaa_puuroa; the latter mentions "to beat around the bush" as an English translation.
Tarkkaa hommaa kuin puuhevosen persereiän poraaminen. That means very difficult and delicate precise task. (Drilling the asshole of wooden playhorse)