Question

What does the idiom ‘hair’s breadth’ mean?

a)Just manage to escape from danger
b)People are reluctant to change
c)To watch without full attention
d)To pay too much attention to differences that are very small

Answer 1

Hint: An idiom refers to a group of words or a phrase that is used to indicate the metaphorical meaning rather than the literal meaning of its words. ‘Hair’s breadth’ refers to an extremely small margin from something dangerous or a narrow escape from something.

Complete step-by-step answer:

The idiom ‘hair’s breadth’ was derived in the 15th century as a unit of measurement that was equal to one-forty-eighth of an inch. Since then, the idiom has been in use in an allegorical manner.
We know the meaning and the origin of the idiom. Now, let’s look at its usage-
Example- We escaped the traffic by a hair’s breadth. Here, we can understand that X and Y made a narrow escape from getting stuck in the traffic.
Let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘Just manage to escape from danger’ refers to missing something narrowly or by a small margin. It is similar in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option b- ‘People are reluctant to change’ refers to the stubborn behavior or nature of people that prevents them from changing. It is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘To watch without full attention’ refers to watching something without full consciousness or awareness. It is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘To pay too much attention to differences that are very small’ refers to being aware or conscious of minute differences. It is different in meaning to the given idiom. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: Do not get confused between the given options. Carefully read and understand the meaning of the given idiom. Thereafter, choose the option which portrays the correct meaning.