hair-breadth 'scape
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A very narrow escape from some danger or evil. In measurement the forty-eighth part of an inch is called a "hair- breadth.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “hair-breadth 'scape” mean?
A very narrow escape from some danger or evil. In measurement the forty-eighth part of an inch is called a "hair- breadth.
Is “hair-breadth 'scape” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.