Winning English - Mastering Idioms, Slang, and References
Nail-biter • Razor-thin • Knife's edge • Near miss • Close call • To cut it close
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Today’s theme is words and sayings for times when we could either succeed or fail.
Sometimes in life, we easily win at something, whether it is a game, a business deal, or any kind of contest. But other times, it can be a real nail-biter. The difference between success or failure can be razor-thin. The result can be on a knife’s edge!
“A nail-biter” is what we call a situation in which we are forced to wait to find out whether things will be good or bad. “Nail-biters” can happen in all walks of life, from sports games to political elections to whether a client will accept your offer. The saying comes from the fact that some people chew on their nails when nervous or stressed.
A razor, of course, is very sharp because it has a very thin cutting edge. So, when something is “razor-thin”, it is very narrow.
A “knife’s edge” is very narrow, too. When an outcome is on a “knife’s edge”, it could easily fall to the left or the right - either to success or failure.
Picture yourself driving a car through an intersection of two roads. You have the green light. Suddenly a car drives across the intersection right in front of you, even though it should have stopped at the red light. It was a near miss and very scary! You might say, “Wow! That was a close call!”
A “near miss” is when something almost hits you, but doesn’t.
A “close call” is similar. It’s when something bad almost happens to you, but doesn’t in the end.
A “close call” also has a slightly different meaning. It’s what we call a situation in which it is very hard to decide whether something is right or wrong. For example, when a tennis ball hits the line in a match, it can be hard to decide whether it was in or out. It’s a “close call". We often make “close calls” in everyday life and business, too.
Suppose you are still driving your car. You are on your way to an appointment. You realize you will arrive only a few minutes before it begins. “Oh, no,” you think to yourself. “I’m really cutting it close. I should have left earlier!”
“To cut it close” means that you are in danger of failing because you didn’t leave yourself enough time or resources to succeed.
Sometimes we deliberately choose to take a risk and try to complete a task, even though we don’t have enough time or resources. We realize at the time, or sometimes right afterward, that we almost failed. You “cut it close”, and you were lucky that it didn’t end in disaster!
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