a close thing
(redirected from close things)a close thing
1. An unpleasant, dangerous, or disastrous event or outcome that one narrowly avoids. No one was hurt in the accident, but it was a close thing—if the fuel tank had been hit, we all would have died. It was a close thing, but thankfully the surgeons managed to remove the cancerous tissue before it spread to other parts of my body. The last-minute deal will avert a government shutdown, but it will have been a close thing.
2. A very narrow outcome or margin of success or failure. After finding out I got the job, I learned from a friend within the company that it was a close thing due to the yearlong gap in my résumé. It is expected to be a close thing in the final moments of the presidential election. With two teams this evenly matched, the championship game will likely be a close thing.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a close (or near) thing
a narrow avoidance of something unpleasant.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a close/near ˈthing
,a close-run ˈthing
(informal)1 a competition, an election, a race, etc. which you only just succeed in winning: I know we won, but believe me, it was a near thing. They could easily have beaten us.
2 a punishment, an accident, etc. which you only just avoided: The police searched the house but they didn’t find him. It was a close-run thing.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017