thread the needle

Meanings

1. To perform a tedious task with extreme precision; to manage to find harmony or strike a balance between conflicting forces, interests, etc.
2. To fly through a narrow gap; typically using a wingsuit.

1. A game in which children stand in a row, joining hands, and in which the outer one, still holding their neighbor, runs between the others.

Etymology

From the analogy of passing a thread through the eye of a needle, which requires great focus and precision to accomplish.