close call

[klohs]
noun
a narrow escape from danger or trouble.

Origin:
1880–85, Americanism

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
close call (kləʊs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
another expression for close shave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Close call is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Slang Dictionary

close shave definition


and close call
  1. n.
    a narrow escape. : The car passed this close to us—a real close call. , Man, that was a close call!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

close call

Also, close shave. Narrow escape, near miss. For example, That skier just missed the treewhat a close call, or That was a close shave, nearly leaving your passport behind. The first phrase dates from the late 1800s and comes from sports, alluding to an official's decision (call) that could have gone either way. The second, from the early 1800s, alludes to the narrow margin between closely shaved skin and a razor cut. (This latter usage replaced the much earlier equation of a close shave with miserliness, based on the idea that a close shave by a barber meant one would not have to spend money on another shave quite so soon.) Also see too close for comfort.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Fairly easy to catch, raccoons are not particularly suspicious of a trap unless
  they have had a previous close call.
For hundreds of thousands more, it was either a life-changing calamity or a
  close call.
Were the vote to be held today, it would be a close call.
Meetings begin with a safety sharing moment or discussion of the findings of
  close call investigations.
Idioms & Phrases
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