a/(one's) brush with (something)
a/(one's) brush with (something)
1. To have a brief encounter with something, especially that which could be harmful. We had a brush with a mountain lion in our yard this morning. Tom's brush with the cops yesterday has left him really rattled. I had a brush with death when I was in that car accident.
2. To have a brief or fleeting experience of something, especially that which is very positive or enjoyable. My one brush with fame came after my second novel became a surprise bestseller. It was over pretty quickly though, as the rest of my books have never sold as well. I'm just happy to have had a brush with true love, even if was over all too soon.
See also: brush
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
brush
n. an encounter; a close shave. My brush with the bear was so close I could smell its breath—which was vile, I might add.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- brush
- tamper
- tamper with
- tamper with (something)
- leave (someone, something, or oneself) (wide) open to (something)
- leave open
- leave yourself wide open to something
- at the receiving end
- be at the receiving end
- be on the receiving end