Definition

1. Noun:
   • A situation where something dangerous, unpleasant, or undesirable is barely avoided; a narrow escape.

Usage

• The term "close shave" is used to describe an event where someone almost experiences an accident, failure, or disaster but manages to avoid it at the very last moment. It emphasizes the narrowness of the margin of escape.

Examples

• Noun:
  • That car nearly hit me! What a close shave.
  • He passed the exam by one point—a real close shave.
  • We had a close shave when the tree fell just behind our car.

Advanced Usage

• "to have a close shave": to experience a narrow escape.
  • The pilot had a close shave when one of the plane's engines failed.
• "That was a close shave!": a common exclamation after a narrow escape.
  • "Phew, that was a close shave!" she said after the falling box just missed her head.

Variants and Related Words

• Close call (noun): A synonym with identical meaning.
  • Missing that flight was a close call, but I caught the next one.

Synonyms

• Narrow escape: An escape that is only just achieved.
• Near miss: An incident that is nearly, but not actually, a collision or accident.
• Hair's breadth escape: An escape by a very small distance or margin.

Idioms

• "by the skin of one's teeth": by a very narrow margin; just barely. This idiom is often used in similar contexts to "close shave."
  • He won the race by the skin of his teeth.

Noun

1. something achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin