win by a nose

Idioms  

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]

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Example Sentences

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.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024

Thunder Snow became the first two-time winner of the $12-million Dubai World Cup when he held off a hard-charging Gronkowski to win by a nose Saturday at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2019

Yet neither the horse nor Tom Queally, his jockey, was prepared to concede defeat and Noble Mission drew alongside in the final strides to win by a nose as the two horses hit the line.

From The Guardian • Jul. 31, 2012

He narrated the finish, admiring the way Lady Maureen held the rail to win by a nose, despite a bold outside move by his own pick, Kitty Kat Rockstar, to finish a close second.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2010

"Ah-h-h!" says she, thankful like, as if she'd seen her horse win by a nose.

From Shorty McCabe by Wilson, F. Vaux (Francis Vaux)