close call
a narrow escape from danger or disaster
TRANSLATION
(that was a) close call = das war knapp, das war eng, das war eine Zitterpartie --- GOOGLE INDEX close call: approximately 5,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
EU Referendum: Polling stations forced to close by floods, as final polls show race 'too CLOSE to CALL'.
The Telegraph
The Telegraph
Did you
know?
close call
noun phrase
- a situation in which you come extremely close to a dangerous or unpleasant situation or only just manage to avoid it
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
---
The phrase "close call" dates from the late 1800s and stems from when a sports official or referee makes a decision (call) that could have gone either way.
It was first recorded in an 1863 anecdote in the US and could have its origins in the Civil War.
The adjective close, as in strictly confined, is from the Old French "clos," meaning confined, concealed, secret and further from the Latin "clauses" (close, reserved), the past participle adjective of "claudere" (stop up, fasten, shut).
The sense of "near" developed via the idea of closing the gap between two things. The noun "call" derives from the verb "to call," which is from the Old English ceallian (to call, shout).
Close, in the sense of near or having a narrow margin, is found in several other useful expressions:
- close to home = something that affects you personally (The story he told about his adoptive parents was really close to home)
- close to the bone = so near to the truth that it may offend someone (Although she was trying to be funny, her comments were close to the bone)
- close to the mark = correct or nearly correct (His analysis of the situation was close to the mark)
- too close for comfort = dangerously nearby or accurate (I made my flight at the last minute. That was too close for comfort!)
---
SYNONYMS
close shave, narrow escape, white knuckler, photo finish, near miss, cliff-hanger, nail-biter
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"All commentators on the Brexit referendum were saying that the result would be a very close call."
noun phrase
- a situation in which you come extremely close to a dangerous or unpleasant situation or only just manage to avoid it
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
---
The phrase "close call" dates from the late 1800s and stems from when a sports official or referee makes a decision (call) that could have gone either way.
It was first recorded in an 1863 anecdote in the US and could have its origins in the Civil War.
The adjective close, as in strictly confined, is from the Old French "clos," meaning confined, concealed, secret and further from the Latin "clauses" (close, reserved), the past participle adjective of "claudere" (stop up, fasten, shut).
The sense of "near" developed via the idea of closing the gap between two things. The noun "call" derives from the verb "to call," which is from the Old English ceallian (to call, shout).
Close, in the sense of near or having a narrow margin, is found in several other useful expressions:
- close to home = something that affects you personally (The story he told about his adoptive parents was really close to home)
- close to the bone = so near to the truth that it may offend someone (Although she was trying to be funny, her comments were close to the bone)
- close to the mark = correct or nearly correct (His analysis of the situation was close to the mark)
- too close for comfort = dangerously nearby or accurate (I made my flight at the last minute. That was too close for comfort!)
---
SYNONYMS
close shave, narrow escape, white knuckler, photo finish, near miss, cliff-hanger, nail-biter
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"All commentators on the Brexit referendum were saying that the result would be a very close call."
