Tightrope walking inexperienced funambulists will often walk barefoot so that the wire can be grasped between the big and second toe. This is more often done when using a rope, as the softer and silkier fibres are less taxing on the bare foot than the harder and more abrasive braided wire. The word "funambulism" or the phrase ""walking a tightrope"" is also used in a metaphorical setting not referring to any actual acrobatic acts. For instance, politicians are said to "walk a tightrope" when trying to balance two opposing views with little room for compromise. The term can also be used in
Longest word in French letter "s" to the end. The adjective "interdépartemental" (18 letters), which also appears in the list, can be pluralised by appending the letters "es". Longest word in French This article lists some of the longest words in the French language. The longest word listed below, "hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie" (36 letters) is the fear (or phobia) of long words. The word is formed from the Latin word "sesquipedalia" (singular "sesquipedalis"), which the Ancient Roman poet Horace used in "Ars Poetica" to describe excessively long words; literally, it means "a foot-and-a-half long". The length of the word "hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie" is embellished with the prefix "hippopotomonstro"