“Glass cliff” describes appointment to a high position in unusually difficult conditions with a heightened risk of failure. Current dictionary usage particularly discusses the term in relation to women and minority-group leaders; this guide does not claim an unsupported coinage history.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
A “glass cliff” is a high-risk leadership situation in which someone is appointed to a senior role during difficult conditions, making failure more likely.
Key details
Canonical Formglass cliff
Core Meaninga situation in which someone is appointed to a high position during unusually difficult conditions that carry a high risk of failure
Further guidance
History Boundary
Current dictionary-supported meaning is published without claiming an exact inventor, coinage date, or absolute first use.
Meaning
a situation in which someone is appointed to a high position during unusually difficult conditions that carry a high risk of failure
Usage Boundary
Use the term for the risky circumstances surrounding advancement to leadership, not simply for any difficult job or for the separate “glass ceiling” barrier to advancement.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Dead Man Walking” means someone considered certain to lose a job, position, or status soon; in US prison usage, a prisoner awaiting execution. The figurative workplace/status sense and the US prison sense are distinct contexts, so the surrounding situation determines the intended meaning.
Use “glass ceiling” for an unofficial but real barrier that blocks advancement to higher positions despite formal access or qualifications. The phrase is about hidden or informal limits on advancement, not every obstacle or explicit rule that restricts promotion.
“A blessing in disguise” describes something that initially seems bad or unlucky but later produces a good result. Specialist history places the printed phrase in the mid-eighteenth century, while earlier texts may express similar ideas without proving the same idiom.
The informal idiom “not have a snowball’s chance in hell” describes a situation with essentially no chance of success. This guide limits the page to the current form, register, and meaning supported by Cambridge and does not add an unsupported origin story.
Actionable Indication of Interest is a current federal securities-regulation defined term. This guide preserves the rule-specific definition and boundaries instead of replacing it with informal market shorthand.
Administrative Data is a current Regulation NMS defined term for specified administrative, control, and technical messages in the market-data plan framework.
Affiliate of a Subscriber is a current Regulation ATS defined term. This guide preserves the rule-specific meaning and boundary instead of replacing it with informal market shorthand.
“Against all odds” emphasizes success despite obstacles or an unfavorable likelihood. Cambridge also records “against (all) the odds,” so the guide treats those forms as part of the same current idiom rather than inventing separate origin claims.
