The idiom "by a whisker" means to win or succeed by a very small margin or a narrow margin. It is often used to describe a situation where someone has just barely managed to achieve something, or narrowly avoided a negative outcome.
For example, if a runner wins a race by a whisker, it means that they won by a very small amount, perhaps just a fraction of a second. Similarly, if someone narrowly avoids an accident while driving, they might say that they missed it by a whisker.
The idiom comes from the idea of a whisker, which is a very thin hair on the face of a person or an animal. The phrase suggests that the margin of victory or success was so small that it was like winning by the width of a whisker.
Overall, "by a whisker" is a useful idiom to describe a situation where someone has just barely managed to achieve something, and it can be used in a variety of contexts, from sports to everyday life.
• The company narrowly avoided bankruptcy by a whisker, thanks to a last-minute investment.
• I passed my driving test by a whisker, making only one mistake.
• I almost missed the bus this morning, but I caught it by a whisker.
• The football team won the game by a whisker, scoring the winning goal in the last minute.
• The politician won the election by a whisker, with only a few votes separating them from their opponent.
• The athlete broke the world record by a whisker, beating the previous time by just milliseconds.