Question
Updated on
2 Jun 2021
- French (France)
-
English (US)
-
German
Question about English (US)
What does close shave mean?
What does close shave mean?
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- English (US) Near fluent
- French (France)
Deux significations :
- un rasage de près,
- le fait d'échapper de justesse à un danger.
- English (UK)
- English (US)
- French (France)
@SixtyFourthNinja
@isthmus_x
Thank you! Seems like it is only about dangerous and negative things, is there an equivalent for good things such as "J'étais à ca d'y arriver!" ?
Also, do we use it as a standalone sentence like "That was a close shave" or can it be integrated in expressions, for example with the expression in French: "passer à 2 doigts de la mort" ?
@isthmus_x
Thank you! Seems like it is only about dangerous and negative things, is there an equivalent for good things such as "J'étais à ca d'y arriver!" ?
Also, do we use it as a standalone sentence like "That was a close shave" or can it be integrated in expressions, for example with the expression in French: "passer à 2 doigts de la mort" ?
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@Aldrin-S
J'étais à ca d'y arriver --
I nearly made it!
Oh, so close!
Missed it by one hair!
Je pense que tu veux dire quelque chose comme ça?
It's probably true that when we say that something was a close shave, it's mostly for dangerous or negative things. But there's no reason why you couldn't say –
I nearly married him – close shave! Think how miserable I'd been now. I'm so lucky.
That's putting a positive spin on it, isn't it?
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US) Near fluent
- French (France)
"À ça" = "this close", par exemple.
"J'étais à ça d'y arriver." = "I was this close to making it."
"That was a close shave." est tout à fait correct.
"I had a close shave yesterday: I almost died." For whatever reason.
- French (France)
@isthmus_x
I'm not sure I understand your example 🤔, do you mean the guy she was about to marry turned to be a bad one and she is lucky not to have married him?
Because If so, I think "close shave" still describes for me the fact that something bad didnt happened.
I was wondering if we can say close shave, talking about something good we missed, for example you got only 99% at your exam, can you say "close shave" and is it natural?
I'm not sure I understand your example 🤔, do you mean the guy she was about to marry turned to be a bad one and she is lucky not to have married him?
Because If so, I think "close shave" still describes for me the fact that something bad didnt happened.
I was wondering if we can say close shave, talking about something good we missed, for example you got only 99% at your exam, can you say "close shave" and is it natural?
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@Aldrin-S
Okay I see - yes you could say that, but it's not how people usually use it.
The other ones I said – we came close, it was a very close thing, we missed it by a hair's breadth - this is what I would mostly expect to hear.
Highly-rated answerer
- French (France)
@isthmus_x
@SixtyFourthNinja
Thank you, i get it now! Very helpful to know the contexts 😊
Have a nice day guys !
@SixtyFourthNinja
Thank you, i get it now! Very helpful to know the contexts 😊
Have a nice day guys !
- English (UK)
- English (US)
- English (US) Near fluent
- French (France)
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