1.
by a hair's breadth; in the nick of time; narrow escape
Describes a situation where something is avoided or achieved with an extremely slim margin. Often used for near-misses and last-second saves.
間一髪で事故を免れた。
I narrowly avoided the accident.
間一髪のところで電車に間に合った。
I made it onto the train just in the nick of time.
落ちてきた看板を間一髪で避けて、けがをせずに済んだ。
I dodged the falling sign by a hair's breadth and escaped without injury.
COMPOSITION:
間 (gap, interval) + 一髪 (one hair). Literally "a gap of one hair," expressing an extremely narrow margin.
USAGE:
Often used adverbially in the pattern 間一髪で or 間一髪のところで (at the last moment, by a narrow margin).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 間一髪で助かる (to be saved by a hair's breadth)
- 間一髪で逃れる (to escape by the narrowest margin)
- 間一髪のところで (at the very last moment)