win by a nose

1. Also, win by a whisker. Just barely succeed, as in Sally's political cartoon came in first in the contest, but I heard that she won by a nose. This term comes from horseracing, where from about 1900 on it referred to a finish so close that only a portion of the horse's nose reached the finish ahead of the second horse. A whisker —that is, a hair—is a narrower margin yet. [Second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

It was not a given McPeek would send Mystik Dan to Baltimore on a two-week turnaround from the colt’s exhausting win by a nose in the Kentucky Derby.

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That paid off because Hernandez guided Mystik Dan to a win by a nose in the race’s closest finish in more than three-quarters of a century.

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Watsonville was able to hold on from as charging Almendares to win by a nose, paying $11.00 to win.

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In the stretch, however, Carmouche smooched at his colt, rubbed its neck and got every ounce of speed to win by a nose.

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Woman Stakes: Lady Ninja came late to win by a nose over a determined Selcourt in the race for fillies and mares going 6 ½ furlongs.

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