close quarters
[ klohs ]
/ kloʊs /
noun
a small, cramped place or position.
direct and close contact in a fight: They met at close quarters, exchanging many quick jabs.
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Origin of close quarters
First recorded in 1745–55
Words nearby close quarters
close one's eyes to, close-order drill, closeout, close position, close punctuation, close quarters, close quote, closer, close ranks, close reach, close-reefed
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for close quarters
They snapped and barked, but had as yet come to no close-quarters since Tolleys adventure with the pepper-besprinkled Bible.
The Heart of Canyon Pass|Thomas K. HolmesThere was a flurrying exchange of close-quarters blows, Rorke spinning about so that his back was towards the referee.
Buff: A Collie and other dog-stories|Albert Payson TerhuneClose-quarters may be on any point, and the seaman rather delights in the bow attack, using the bowsprit as his bridge.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry SmythThe close-quarters projectile of to-day is more usually shrapnel with the fuze set at zero.
British Dictionary definitions for close quarters
close quarters
/ (kləʊs) /
pl n
a narrow cramped space or position
at close quarters
- engaged in hand-to-hand combat
- in close proximity; very near together
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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