close shave
A narrow escape from or avoidance of a situation, often an unfavorable or dangerous one. I had a close shave this morning when a tractor trailer unexpectedly swerved into my lane. Boy, that was a close shave! That cop almost caught us! It was a close shave, but I managed to avoid hitting the deer that ran directly in front of my car.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a close shave
and a close calla narrow escape. (See also .) Wow, that was a close shave. I thought the guard would spot us. The speeding car passed only a few inches from us—a real close call.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
a close shave
If someone has a close shave, they very nearly have a bad accident or very nearly suffer a defeat. It was a close shave — if I hadn't been paying attention we could both have been flattened. McGregor had a close shave when a 7ft polar bear ran at him while he was filming a documentary about the animals in Canada. Gingrich had a close shave in the 1990 general election.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
close shave (or call)
a narrow escape from danger or disaster. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a ˌclose ˈshave/ˈcall
(informal) a situation where a disaster, an accident, etc. almost happens: We didn’t actually hit the other car, but it was a close shave. ♢ Phew! That was a close call — she nearly saw us!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
close shave
and close call n. a narrow escape. The car passed this close to us—a real close call. Man, that was a close call!
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.