Store owner avoids being crushed by speeding car by a hair's breadth
: a very small distance or amount : very close He came within a hair's breadth of winning the race. often used before another noun a hairbreadth escape
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The sword of Damocles is a symbol of the danger and insecurity that comes with power or success. It originates from a Greek legend, in which King Dionysius I of Syracuse hung a sword over the head of a flattering courtier, Damocles, by a single hair, to show him the peril of his position. The expression is often used to describe a situation that is precarious, threatening, or unstable.