on the verge of

昨日の記事で取り上げた、フィラデルフィアのいわゆる"soda tax"について、今日は別記事からの引用です。


PHILADELPHIA — In the city of cheesesteaks and soft pretzels, a soda tax that regulates people’s behavior is a hard sell.

But Philadelphia is on the verge of becoming only the second city in the country to pass a tax on soft drinks, thanks to the mayor’s creative approach to push the plan as a way to address some of its other ills, including paying for pre-kindergarten opportunities, rebuilding crumbling recreation centers and creating community schools.

The 1.5 cent per ounce tax on regular and diet sodas is expected to raise $91 million. City council is set to approve the measure at its Thursday meeting.
(Errin Haines Whack. Philadelphia soda tax sold public interest over health. The Washington Post. June 12, 2016.)


今日取り上げたいのは、


on the verge of...


という表現です。

お気づきですね？昨日取り上げた、


on the cusp of...


によく似ています。

"verge"とは境界とか辺縁などと言われていますが、要は一線を越えるか否か、という点が問題になっています。

引用した記事で、フィラデルフィアは（カリフォルニア州バークレー）に次ぐ、"soda tax"導入の第2の都市となるか、という形で取り上げられています。