close shave

The phrase "close shave" originates from the practice of shaving close to the skin, later evolving to describe narrowly avoiding danger.

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Definition

B2General

(informal)A situation where someone narrowly avoids danger or a negative outcome.

Example

  • He had a close shave when the car skidded on the ice.
  • That was a close shave; the ball nearly hit him in the face.

B2Personal Care

(general)A shave that removes hair very closely to the skin, resulting in a smooth finish.

Example

  • This razor gives a close shave, leaving your skin smooth and hair-free.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "close shave":

cut it closeshave upcut it finepermanent shavetoo close for comfortclose quarterstight squeezetight spotcut buddydown to the wireshaving creamhigh and tightdeep cutnip and tuckrazor blade