close call

In the broader context of humanity’s fight against infectious disease, it’s fair to think of the coronavirus as a close call.
Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here’s how humans beat it.|Kelsey Piper|February 5, 2021|Vox
There were close calls, low moments and embarrassing predicaments, such as Denver having to play without a quarterback.
The Cleveland Browns were an NFL feel-good story. Then the coronavirus got jealous.|Jerry Brewer|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
What started as a peaceful morning of kayaking turned into a close call for two friends at Avila Beach.
A pair of kayakers in California barely avoid being swallowed by a humpback whale|Des Bieler|November 4, 2020|Washington Post
Based on polling, it’s a close call whether it garners the 60 percent of the vote necessary to pass.
The 21 Ballot Measures We’re Watching This Election|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 31, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Avalanche professionals also share stories of close calls and mistakes to gather more data and learn how to prevent future fatalities.
I Hit a Cyclist with My Car|Brooke Warren|October 28, 2020|Outside Online
I heard there was a close call on the set of Lone Survivor where your head was almost blown off?
Mark Wahlberg Discusses ‘Lone Survivor,’ Kate Moss in Playboy, the Red Sox, and More|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
During filming, one close call almost killed to the project.
‘Escape From Tomorrow’: Making Disney’s Worst Nightmare|Marlow Stern|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether Ferdydurke or Transatlantic is his masterpiece is a close call.
Louis Begley: How I Write|Noah Charney|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In town, they had a close call while filming a bonfire attended by a group of 18-year-old kids.
‘Oxyana’ Documentary at Tribeca Exposes the OxyContin Epidemic|Marlow Stern|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The close call forced Gerhartsreiter to quit his $100,000-a-year job and go underground.
Fake Rockefeller, Real Murder: The Case of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter|Christine Pelisek|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When she had finished they regarded her wonderingly, fully appreciating what a close call she had had.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
They're all well now, 'cept Jake, and he'll come out all right, but we had a close call.
Warrior Gap|Charles King
Here was a close call, which differed from many another in that the bounding ball was visible.
Reminiscences of a Rebel|Wayland Fuller Dunaway
That was certainly a close call, and the bullet evidently whistled uncomfortably close to several of them.
Cruisings in the Cascades|George O. Shields
It's day after to-morrow—a close call, but I'll make it all right.
The Main Chance|Meredith Nicholson

British Dictionary definitions for close call

close call

/ (kləʊs) /

noun

another expression for close shave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with close call

close call

Also, close shave. Narrow escape, near miss. For example, That skier just missed the tree—what 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.

close call

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British Dictionary definitions for close call

Other Idioms and Phrases with close call