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

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

On Saturday, just as Gov. Ron DeSantis was working the pork tent at the Iowa State Fair — a rite of passage for presidential aspirants — Mr. Trump’s private plane flew noisily within spitting distance of the fairgrounds.

From New York Times