brink

"I'm not suggesting that the Russian economy is on the brink of collapse," the official said.

The director is well aware that the heyday of American musicals on both stage and screen occurred amid the Great Depression, World War II, the Holocaust and the brink of nuclear obliteration.

Much of Gaza is now uninhabitable and on the brink of famine.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee which scrutinises government spending, said prisons were "already at the brink" and it was "unacceptable" that plans would not meet future demand.

Less than 24 hours later, his political future is on the brink, with protests on the streets and impeachment proceedings against him under way.