by a hair

Idioms and Phrases

Also, by a hairbreadth or whisker . Very narrowly. For example, His serve was out by a hair , or We made our flight by a hairbreadth , or Dad missed hitting the pole by a whisker . The first two hyperboles for the very narrowest margin date from the 1300s and 1400s respectively; whisker meaning “a small amount” was first recorded in 1913. Also see by the skin of one's teeth ; hang by a hair .

Related Words

• barely
• comparatively
• practically
• rarely
• seldom
• simply
• somewhat