AT CLOSE QUARTERS Definition & Meaning

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at close quarters

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Idioms and Phrases

Crowded, in a confined space, as in We could use a lot more room; this tiny office puts us at close quarters . This idiom makes figurative use of quarters in the sense of “military lodgings” but originated in 18th-century naval warfare. When the enemy boarded a ship, the crew would retreat behind wooden barriers erected for this purpose and would continue to fire through loopholes. They thus were very near the enemy, fighting in close quarters . [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

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And watching Guardiola at close quarters at Vitality Stadium as City came from behind to win 2-1 made a mockery of Guardiola's own assertion that not even winning the FA Cup could make up for failing to make a dent in the Premier League and Champions League.

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The trial has offered a rare chance for the French public to see the once-revered actor - star of films like Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac - at close quarters.

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With the weather causing havoc, it was a day for the purists as Saints had to show their steel at close quarters.

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"The execution will have to be done at close quarters, brushing shoulders in the lobbies as we go to vote for the removal of much-respected colleagues."

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Wightman witnessed which compatriot's attention to detail at close quarters when they shared a room at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which Kerr left with a bronze medal.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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