. . . sans structure fixe, du bout des doigts. . .
English translation: in the context, without any support institution, walking on eggshells
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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:
. . . sans structure fixe, du bout des doigts. . .
English translation:
in the context, without any support institution, walking on eggshells
French to English translations [PRO] Medical - Medical: Health Care / Government
French term or phrase:. . . sans structure fixe, du bout des doigts. . .
This describes conditions under which a team of healthcare workers, with very limited outside support, tries to provide healthcare to those in need. It starts: "We intervened, sans structure fixe, du bout des doigts. . . " I was thinking perhaps "without a support system in place, without a grip on what we were dealing with"
Nous sommes intervenus sans structure fixe, du bout des doigts, presque cache, sans prendre la parole publiquement, comme si nous avions peur de dire ce que nous faisons. Additional note: Given your recent addendum, I thought I might translate du bout des droits as "walking on eggshells"
The translation workplace 
