whisker

by a hair('s breadth) and by a whisker

Fig. just barely; by a very small distance. I just missed getting on the plane by a hair's breadth. I made it onto the last flight by a hair!

See also: hair

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be the cat's whiskers  (British & Australian)

to be better than everyone else I thought I was the cat's whiskers in my new dress.

by a whisker

by a very small amount Last time she raced against the Brazilian she won by a whisker. He missed the goal by a whisker.

come within a whisker of something/doing something

if you come within a whisker of doing something, you almost do it or it almost happens to you He came within a whisker of beating the world champion. Several times on his trek through the jungle he came within a whisker of death.

See also: come, within

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within a whisker of something

close to something Yesterday, the price of oil came within a whisker of its all-time high. An asteroid came within a whisker of crashing into the earth.

See also: within