hop, skip, and (a) jump
1. A short distance away from a certain location. My apartment's location is so convenient. It's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the train station and the grocery store. I'm just going to run through the rain because the library is only a hop, skip, and jump from here. Don't worry, the gas station is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here.
2. Very similar (to something else). I thought you could handle this project because it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from the one you're working on now. The book is a hop, skip, and jump away from being outright military propaganda. Of course the husband did it! His damning comments are just a hop, skip, and a jump from a full confession!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hop, skip, and a jump
A short distance, as in It's just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house to yours. This expression, dating from the early 1700s, originally referred to an exercise or game involving these movements, but by the mid-1800s was also being used figuratively for the short distance so covered.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.