The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 plus 2 letter word TOUCH AND GO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
O
U
C
H
A
N
D
G
O
More clues leading to the result TOUCH AND GO
- With no play area at first, game is in the balance
- Narrow escape when bird bites husband and dog runs free
- Bird eats hot dog, possibly uncertain
- Bird having bitten hound’s head, mauled dog critical?
- You see pronounced assistance stops African country reaching critical situation
- Critical not to linger after meet
- What healer may do when in a rush? That’s risky
- Meet with work in the balance
- Uncertain to request a loan with advance
- Make contact and start being close
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "in the balance" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in the balance = touch and go.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TOUCH AND GO mean?
TOUCH AND GO adjective- Precarious, delicate, risky, sensitive; of uncertain outcome (by analogy with a ship in shallow water).
- A landing on a runway immediately followed by a takeoff without an intervening full stop.