“Close shave” is an English idiom that refers to narrowly avoiding an undesirable situation, such as bodily harm or a failed romantic encounter. Its origin is debatable, but it may have originated from barbers providing medical treatments. The term has been used for decades to describe lucky escapes.
“A close shave” is one of many different English sayings that refers to a situation where an individual narrowly misses some type of mishap. Along with idiomatic expressions such as “close call” or “near miss”, a “close shave” indicates how much the individual avoids some sort of undesirable situation. The idiom can be used in a number of contexts, referring to various types of business situations, events that could involve bodily harm, and even romantic entanglements.
The exact origins of the “close shave” are debatable, although one popular school of thought holds that it has to do with using a barbershop in the past. During eras when barbershops provided more services than just cutting hair and shaving, such as providing medical treatments such as tooth removal and even some types of surgery, it was not uncommon for barbers to shave waiting patients to cure some kind of ailment. The idea was to get the shave as close as possible without irritating the skin. According to legend, there would sometimes be situations where the shave would be completed when something would prevent the medical procedure from actually being performed. When this occurred, the patient received a close shave but escaped a consequence that could have been quite painful.
Whatever the origin of the “close shave,” there’s no doubt that in the 20th century, the term referred to narrowly escaping some kind of unwanted event. For a number of decades, the phrase has been used to refer to situations where an individual has escaped some sort of unfortunate situation by sheer luck alone. A common use of the term has to do with narrowly avoiding some sort of injury. An individual who steps off a curb and then is pulled back by someone just as a bus passes is sometimes said to have experienced a close shave, since the bus might very well have hit and hurt the party were it not for the quick thinking of someone nearby.
Close shaving can also refer to narrowly escaping what could have been an ultimately undesirable romantic situation. When it is learned that someone who was perceived as a great catch is actually not all that great, those who have tried to embroil that man or woman in romance can be thankful that nothing came of their efforts, referring to the situation as to shave. Similarly, being able to avoid a blind date arrangement with someone who isn’t particularly interesting would also be considered a close shave, as the date would most likely be unsuccessful for both parties.
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