😰 A Close Call: Surviving Narrow Escapes and Near Misses 💈
Hold onto your hats and your razors! We’re about to whisk you through the breath-catching world of narrow escapes and heart-pounding near misses with the idioms, “a close call” and “a close shave.”
The Origin Story 🏋️♂️🪒
A Close Call: Originating from 1880s America, this phrase began in the field of sports. Imagine the tension as an umpire makes a hairline decision. Will it be a strike or a ball? That’s a close call.
A Close Shave: Think sharp razors and shaky hands. Dating back to the early 19th century, “a close shave” was adopted from the tenuous nature of a finely honed razor blade skimming the skin—one wrong move and, yikes!
Fun Fact! 📚🚀
Erasmus’s Adagia (1523) mentioned this in the context of miserliness with “He shaves right to the quick,” alluding to someone wanting a very close cut to save money on fewer shaves—akin to pinching pennies till Lincoln screams!
Modern Words To The Wise
Too Close for Comfort: When things are uncomfortably near disaster or inconvenience.
Too Close to Home: When a situation nearly affects you or strikes a personal nerve.
Wit and Wisdom 💡😄
“Crisis and Close Call: A sisterhood of opportunity and caution marrying fate!” – Narrowly Evade
Related Reads and Riveting References 📖
Books:
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – Bilbo Baggins finds himself in plenty of close shaves.
- Touching the Void by Joe Simpson – A thrilling real-life tale of mountaineering close calls.
Movies:
- Raiders of the Lost Ark – Indiana Jones’ life is practically a series of never-ending close shaves.
- Gravity – When every second counts and sand grains of time narrowly escape gravity’s pull.
Songs:
- “Close Call” by Rilo Kiley – For those indie sentimental narrow escapes.
- “Dancing on the Ceiling” by Lionel Richie – Because after a close call, you’ll want to celebrate!
Poetry:
- “If” by Rudyard Kipling – Full of courageous ifs, our man’s sure had his fair share of close shaves.
Thought-Provoking Farewell 💫
As we tiptoe away from disaster by the skin of our teeth, take heart: A close call or shave is life’s quirky reminder that fate dances on a razor’s edge—keeping our lives exhilarating and profoundly unpredictable.
Remember, folks, stick the landing, dodge the blade, and carry a well-worn philosophy: near misses make the close ones count extra.
