um ein Haar
Meaning: by the narrowest possible margin; almost not.
Language: German
Literally: by a hair
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The hair as the smallest measure of distance visible to the naked eye, used to represent an infinitesimal gap.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- aus dem Handgelenk — done with ease and without much effort or advance preparation; offhand.
- feucht hinter den Ohren — Young, inexperienced, or naive.
- grün vor Neid — Consumed with jealousy or envious feeling.
- mundtot machen — to silence or suppress someone; to rob them of the ability or right to speak.
- wie ein Blinder von der Farbe reden — to discuss or explain something one has no direct experience or understanding of; to spea…
- jemandem in Fleisch und Blut übergehen — To become second nature or instinctive; to be absorbed so deeply that it feels like part…
More German idioms
- etwas auf die lange Bank schieben — to postpone or delay something indefinitely.
- in die Quere kommen — to interfere with someone, to get in the way or obstruct.
- zu Grabe tragen — to bury or permanently give up on something such as a hope, plan, or wish.
- nur Bahnhof verstehen — to understand nothing at all of what is being said.
- von einem Tag auf den anderen — very quickly, suddenly, or overnight.
- Staub aufwirbeln — To cause trouble or create a dramatic disturbance.
From our proverbs
- He would not lend his knife to the devil to stab himself. — Even the self-interested refuse to enable their own destruction, showing that survival in…
- A liar should have a good memory. — Falsehoods require constant mental effort to maintain consistency, making deception exhau…
- The greater truth, the greater libel. — Truth's harshness wounds deeper when it exposes powerful lies or uncomfortable realities…