within an ace of something/of doing something
within an ace of (doing) (something)
Extremely close to doing, achieving, or obtaining something, typically having failed by a very narrow margin. I came within an ace of winning that race, but I guess I'll have to settle for second place. They were within an ace of defeat when the quarterback threw a Hail Mary for a last-second touchdown. Crude oil prices came within an ace of $80 a barrel on Friday, threatening to plunge markets further into recession around the globe.
See also: ace, of, within
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
within an ace of (doing) something
and within a hair('s breadth) of somethingvery close to doing something. I came within an ace of getting into an accident. We were within an ace of beating the all-time record. We were within a hair's breadth of beating the all-time record.
See also: ace, of, within
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
within an ace of
Also, within an inch of. Very close to, within a narrow margin of, as in We were within an ace of calling you, but we'd lost your phone number, or We were within an inch of buying tickets for that concert. The first term refers to the ace of dice, that is, the one pip on a die. The lowest number one can throw with a pair of dice is two (two aces), a throw that is within an ace of one. The term began to be used for other kinds of near miss by about 1700.
See also: ace, of, within
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
within an ace of
very close to.Ace here has the figurative meaning of ‘a tiny amount’ and is used with reference to the single spot on the playing card. The phrase was first recorded in the early 18th century.
See also: ace, of, within
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
within an ace of something/of doing something
(British English) very close to something: We came within an ace of victory.See also: ace, of, something, within
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
within an ace of (doing) something
mod. very close to doing something. We were within an ace of beating the all-time record.
See also: ace, of, something, within
within an ace of something
verbSee within an ace of doing something
See also: ace, of, something, within
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
within an ace of
On the verge of; very near to: came within an ace of losing the election.
See also: ace, of, within
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
- within an ace of
- within an ace of (doing) (something)
- within an ace of doing something
- within an ace of something
- within a hair of (something)
- within a hair's breadth of (something)
- within ames ace
- within an ace of, to be
- be out for (something)
- out for, be