For example can I say, "Working for Apple in the 1980s, surrounded by innovation, it felt as though I was on the precipice of computer technology"?
I would like to find a good word here to replace the horribly clichéd cutting edge.
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12Had you been working for Wang, instead of Apple, you might say you were working on the precipice of Word Processor technology. Being at the precipice implies something drastically bad is about to happen.– J.R.Jul 19, 2012 at 9:40
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Related: Word for person interested in latest technology programming-wise ¦ Word for someone who is extremely up-to-date with the latest facts (news or research) ¦ Can we say “on the brink of off-topic”?– Matt E. ЭлленJul 19, 2012 at 12:10
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I kinda like precipice here. Think of The Fool in the tarot deck, who is about to step over a cliff. Is something drastically bad about to happen? Possibly. Certainly something drastically life altering is.– Bobbi BennettJul 19, 2012 at 22:56
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8 Answers
Precipice is not really the word you are looking for.
You could use in the vanguard or at the forefront but perhaps even they are clichés.
answered Jul 19, 2012 at 9:24
A precipice is a cliff. If you say, "We stood at a precipice", the usual implication is that you were in danger of falling off.
The common phrase for the idea I think you are looking for is "cutting edge", as in, "Our company is on the cutting edge of toaster technology". Some say "leading edge". (For a while people thought it was cute to say "bleeding edge", I think combining the idea of leading edge and cutting causes bleeding, but that appears to have mostly died out.) As Andrew Leach notes, "vanguard" is another common term, though I think a little out of date.
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"Bleeding Edge" has an additional connotation of being risky, unstable, or potentially more costly to implement than is justified that isn't inherent to the others, I would say.– LawtonJun 11, 2014 at 20:50
Working for Apple in the 1980s, surrounded by innovation, it felt as though I was witnessing groundbreaking computer technology
groundbreaking breaking new ground; innovative; pioneering
"Working for Apple in the 1980s, surrounded by innovation, it felt as though we were about to make history in computer technology"
make history; to do something very important, especially to be the first to do something that will be remembered for a long time. The Wright brothers made history when they were the first to fly an aeroplane.
answered Nov 9, 2013 at 21:05
You could say you felt quite Avant-garde meaning forward-looking or innovative.
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1Note that avant-garde is normally understood to mean "unconventional", i.e. attempting to lead in a new direction rather than being at the front of the pack.– JayJul 19, 2012 at 15:24
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English
very steep or vertical face of a cliff, mountain or rock : (fig )
- The country's economy was on the edge of the precipice, ie in danger of collapsing.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
a dangerous situation in which something very bad could happen
- The stock market is on the edge of a precipice .
If OP takes the time and trouble to consult some dictionaries, it might become quite clear that , precipice often metaphorically describes something which is dangerous and causes disastrous consequences, and by no means suits the the occasion where the state-of-art computer technology would benefit all humans.
Besides in the vanguard or at the forefront, which I think are perfect, I recommend pioneer with one of the definitions in OALD.
person who is the first to study a new area of knowledge
e.g. They were pioneers in the field of microsurgery.
You could say:
"Working for Apple in the 1980s, surrounded by innovation, it felt as though I was among the pioneers of state-of-the-art computer technology"
answered Nov 7, 2017 at 6:37
Sleeping On a Giant's ShoulderSleeping On a Giant's Shoulder
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I think the following sentence (with edge :) correctly describes your feeling:
I was on the edge of computer science innovation.
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I think on the edge of (and the more common on the brink of) normally precede some narrowly-avoided negative outcome, not some positive, onging activity. Jul 19, 2012 at 11:42
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@tchrist: OP specifically said he wanted "to replace the horribly clichéd cutting edge." Aug 19, 2012 at 2:43
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You could replace the horrible cliché with the arguably more horrible jargon bleeding edge, a slightly intensified version of cutting edge.
I feel like the replies are really getting away from the original question here. I looked this up because I has thinking the same thing and I think it's right... so if the precipice is the edge of a hill or a cliff then that's the highest point, right? When we use the phrase "at the precipice of __ ", we are describing the subject as the highest point, or peak. Like when you tag someone in a mean and say "[this is] the precipice of meme" or "at the precipice of meme", you are implying you have reached the peak of meme.
