out on a limb

1. In a difficult, awkward, or vulnerable position, as in I lodged a complaint about low salaries, but the people who had supported me left me out on a limb. This expression alludes to an animal climbing out on the limb of a tree and then being afraid or unable to retreat. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

“The question is, does that reflect a genuine shift in policy sensibility and a readiness to really go out on a limb for a principled position? Or does that more reflect a sense of finger in the air and test the winds?”

From Salon

Better to have politicians and experts who study the pressing issues of the day and go out on a limb rather than shrug their shoulders.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, the question remains: Are the hosts truly going out on a limb and breaking with the establishment, or do they foresee a more glacial shift in the status quo in which, in future elections, it will be compulsory for Democratic hopefuls to provide a more imaginative policy on Israel?

From Slate

One person I was struck by was Sen. Chris Van Hollen when he went to El Salvador; putting people first and trying something that he had no idea whether this was going to help at all, but he was willing to go out on a limb like that.

From Salon

Coaches have had to put themselves out on a limb.

From Los Angeles Times