spitting distance

noun

1. a short space or distance

Idioms and Phrases

A very short distance, as in We were in spitting distance of winning the pennant but then we lost three games in a row . Alluding to the relatively short distance over which one's spit will carry, this idiom was first recorded in 1895 as within spitting range .

Example Sentences

Longtime Idahoans might remember a time before the state’s population blew up and brought so many new residents within spitting distance of the Owyhees.

From Seattle Times

“I am a staunch believer that if you are within spitting distance of a tribe that you should be engaged in outreach to the tribe,” she said.

From Salon

Writing at the American Prospect, Rick Perlstein deftly summarizes the perilous convergence of these forces and the system-breaking challenge that awaits American democracy in 2024 as, “The triangle represents the three forces that have succeeded in getting America within spitting distance of losing its democracy: Republican authoritarianism, Democratic timorousness, and media incompetence.”

From Salon

I saw shows in basements on the Lower East Side, sat through un-air-conditioned fringe festivals in the dog days of summer, experienced the raciest of performance art at spitting distance from the stage and covered the storied off-Broadway institutions that served as sanctuaries for artists constitutionally incapable of selling out to the Broadway machine.

From Los Angeles Times

Yields on 10-year notes crept up to 4.18% on Monday and within spitting distance of the 2023 top of 4.206%, a break of which would be bearish for a test of last year's 4.337% high.

From Reuters