hairbreadth
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]hairbreadth (plural hairbreadths)
- Alternative form of hair's breadth: the width of a hair, a very short distance or a very small amount.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
- In short, these kind of hairbreadth missings of happiness look like the insults of Fortune, who may be considered as thus playing tricks with us, and wantonly diverting herself at our expense.
- 1799, Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Huntly:
- This surely was a day destined to be signalized by hairbreadth escapes.
- 1856, [William] Wilkie Collins, “Gabriel's Marriage”, in After Dark, volume II, London: Smith, Elder & Co., →OCLC, page 107:
- His hairbreadth escapes from death; […] .
- 1876, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 17, in Rose in Bloom […] [1]:
- […] for the young hero rioted by day, howled by night, ravaged the house from top to bottom, and kept his guardians in a series of panics by his hairbreadth escapes.