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

But even standing within spitting distance of The Pearl was close enough for me to envision better days ahead.

From The Daily Beast

By midafternoon, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, nearing 14,100, was in spitting distance of a record-setting close.

From The Daily Beast

If one of us happened to get within spitting distance of a window, up would go their noses and down would come the saliva.

From Project Gutenberg