Definition: Almost achieving something; narrowly missing an objective. Rooted in the smallest number on a die, demonstrating how outcomes can pivot on the narrowest of margins.
Kindred Spirits in Narrow Escapes
- Close but No Cigar 🏆: Amusingly talks about narrowly missing out on a prize—which, amusingly, used to be a cigar as fairground rewards.
- A Hair’s Breadth Away: Just a whisker from success, emphasizing how victory or loss can hinge on life’s tiny threads.
- Too Close for Comfort: Being a bit too near to finishing or experiencing something, squeezing out of disaster by an inch.
- Touch and Go: Reflecting a situation balanced on a knife-edge, uncertain till the last moment.
Wisdom & Witticisms
- “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill
- “I was within an ace of being talked to death.” - Thomas Browne
- “I was within an ace of meeting you.” - Alexander Pope
Synonyms & Antonyms
- Synonyms: Barely, Just, Scarcely, Almost
- Antonyms: Far off, Distant, Remote
References in Popular Culture
- Book: The Thin Line by Pippa Narrowclose
- Song: “Close But No Cigar” by “Weird Al” Yankovic
- Movie: Almost Famous directed by Cameron Crowe
- Poetry: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost - A literary pondering on the narrowness of life’s pivotal moments.
Quizzes for the Intrepid Wordsmiths
### Pick the real idiom:
- [x] Within an ace of
- [ ] Between the twos of fortune
- [ ] Ringing the dice bell
- [ ] Leaping grandly on sandals
> **Explanation:** "Within an ace of" is the genuine idiom about narrow beckoning near-misses, unlike the other imaginary contenders.
---
### Which expression means narrowly missing something?
- [ ] As wide as a barn door
- [ ] Pleasantly distant
- [x] A hair’s breadth away
- [ ] Flying yonder
> **Explanation:** "A hair’s breadth away" truly exemplifies being extremely close to an outcome.
---
### Which of these describes a situation balanced right between success and failure?
- [ ] Flowing river
- [x] Touch and go
- [ ] Singing jubilee
- [ ] Wizened tree
> **Explanation:** “Touch and go” reveals the fragile uncertainty just on the edge of completion.
---
### True or False: 'Too Close for Comfort' is another way to say the situation was barely avoided.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Precisely! "Too Close for Comfort" means you narrowly missed something potentially uncomfortable or disastrous.
Farewell Note: Always treasure this bit of wisdom—life often operates within an ace of destiny. Embrace the near misses; they bring humor, courage, and an unrivaled story-dimension to life.
