Note that the first sentence should say economic (not 'economical').

Otherwise, I agree with @Troy M's comment. The first sentence is a good example, as the situation is serious and the wording is suitably dramatic.

'Teetering on the brink' is an image: think of those cartoons where someone is standing with their toes on the edge of a cliff, about to fall down into a ravine. Because of the dramatic nature of this metaphor, we tend to collocate it with such nouns as 'collapse' 'catastrophe' and 'disaster'.

Hi @Troy!

> For example, you could say ‘a local business teeters on the brink of bankruptcy due to fines,’ because bankruptcy is a potential outcome that is very serious.

Sure. Thank you!

Hi Alexey, this is a somewhat common phrase/verb in English. It is dramatic in nature to use this phrase, so you see it more in writing, but is not uncommon to hear in spoken English (at least in my native United States). It is similar to saying that someone or something is at risk of something very bad happening. Usually, it is followed by severe nouns like disaster, collapse, destruction, war, etc.

Your first sentence is great. That is exactly how it is used. The second sentence is not quite right, as it is awkward to follow ‘teetering on the brink of’ with a verb. It is also not a severe enough issue. For example, you could say ‘a local business teeters on the brink of bankruptcy due to fines,’ because bankruptcy is a potential outcome that is very serious.

Hope this helps!

HI @La Liseuse, good illustration, thank you!