Phrase 'To put a toe in the water'

[SkiIucK]

Hello,

What does it mean? I suppose it is taking risk. Do I guess correctly? If you need further context, I can provide you with that. Thank you in advance.

Regards
_________________
If you find any typographical or grammatical errors in my post, please let me know.

[Alan]

Hi SkiIucK,

This means in a very broad sense 'test' to see whether it's worth exploring further. It is if you like a tentative approach to something. You could possibly have some money that you would like to invest but you are not sure how successful you'll be. What you do therefore is buy just a few shares in a particular company and see how they perform before you buy any more shares. In that sense you are putting a toe in the water. The analogy of course is that if you want to go for a swim in a swimming pool but you don't know how cold it will be, you try it out by putting your toe in the water before you actually go into the water completely.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Womens' Day

[SkiIucK]

Hi Alan,

This makes perfect sense. A very good explanation indeed. Thank you very much.

Regards