a close call
a stroke of good luck
TRANSLATION
That was a close call! = Das war knapp! Wir sind mit knapper Not entkommen.
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"Michael Kelly almost panicked while reporting on the first Gulf War when he and another reporter met ten Iraqi soldiers who were retreating across the Kuwaiti desert.
A CLOSE CALL? Not exactly. The soldiers insisted that Kelly and his colleague accept their surrender as prisoners of war!"
"Kiss of Victory" The New Republic
Did you
know?
close call
informal noun phrase
- A narrow escape
The American Heritage Dictionary
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ORIGIN
Close call dates from the late 1800s and comes from sports, referring to an official’s decision (call) that could have gone either way.
Close shave from the early 1800s, refers to the narrow margin between closely shaved skin and a razor cut.
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SYNONYMS
close shave, narrow escape, near miss, by the skin of one’s teeth, too close for comfort
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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation, say something like:
“It was A CLOSE CALL. After burning the midnight oil Jim submitted the proposal two minutes before the official deadline."
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THE LAST LAUGH
"The secret service isn't allowed to yell "Get down!" anymore when the president is about to be attacked. Now they have to yell "Donald, duck!"
