by an eyelash
1
7.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
por un suspiro
- He won the race by an eyelash, crossing the finish line just ahead of his competitor.
Examples
-
She passed the exam by an eyelash, scoring just above the minimum required mark.
-
- And he's out by an eyelash at third.
-
The two teams were evenly matched, but one won the game by an eyelash.
Synonyms
35
4.1
By a small amount
11
4.5
Very slowly in very small steps
5
4.9
To win with a very small lead in a race or contest
3
5.6
A very small distance or amount
1
6.3
A very small distance in a close call
In a strict, exact way with no exceptions
Antonyms
How Close
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + an + eyelash
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'by' marks the margin or amount and 'an eyelash' evokes a very small physical distance, so together they naturally mean 'by a very small margin.' This tiny-distance metaphor is cross-linguistically common (e.g. 'by a hair') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The idiom by an eyelash comes from the image of an eyelash as a very tiny distance, like a race decided by the smallest gap between two runners. That's why it means 'by a very small margin'.