on the verge of

"In this final book, Lyra is on the verge of discovering what Dust is and what it means, and the story is about how that happens," the author told BBC Radio 4's The World At One.

When the clinic was on the verge of closure, the town desperately rallied to buy it.

Set in the open world of Tamriel, the game places players in an empire on the verge of downfall - after the mysterious death of Emperor Uriel Septim VII leaves behind a vacant throne and missing heir.

Around 1997, when it was on the verge of bankruptcy as it struggled to compete with rivals, Apple found a lifeline in China.

Its characters break out into song while on the verge of being swept up by Homeland Security, or inadvertently cause a widespread panic by dropping on the carpet at the airport to pray when they learn of the terror attacks.