a/(one's) brush with (something)

a/(one's) brush with (something)

1. To have a brief encounter with something, especially that which could be harmful. We had a brush with a mountain lion in our yard this morning. Tom's brush with the cops yesterday has left him really rattled. I had a brush with death when I was in that car accident.

2. To have a brief or fleeting experience of something, especially that which is very positive or enjoyable. My one brush with fame came after my second novel became a surprise bestseller. It was over pretty quickly though, as the rest of my books have never sold as well. I'm just happy to have had a brush with true love, even if it was over all too soon. His one brush with greatness was when he won the state championships in wrestling when he was a senior in high school—and he still talks about it any chance he gets.

See also: brush

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

brush

n. an encounter; a close shave. My brush with the bear was so close I could smell its breath—which was vile, I might add.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.