To make a narrow escape
Meaning
To narrowly avoid danger, difficulty, or an undesirable situation.
Origin
The power of "to make a narrow escape" lies in its simple, visceral imagery. Picture someone squeezing through a tiny crevice in a collapsing cave, or a ship navigating a dangerously tight channel with jagged rocks on either side. The word "narrow" immediately conjures a sense of confinement, of barely having enough space to avoid catastrophe. It’s not just an escape, but one achieved with the absolute minimum margin for error, a mere hair's breadth from disaster. This literal visual of tight spaces and close calls has always been understood, making the phrase an enduring and universal way to describe a dramatic brush with danger, a moment where fate hung by the thinnest thread.
Examples
- The climbers made a narrow escape when the ice bridge collapsed just after they had crossed it.
- She made a narrow escape from the burning building moments before the roof caved in.