Today\u2019s expression is a \u201cclose call.\u201d A close call is when something bad, or something dangerous, almost happens <\/span>\u2014but doesn\u2019t. Do you remember how you heard it earlier? We were talking about the piece of space debris <\/span> that almost hit the International Space Station. If it had hit the station, it might have caused an explosion, or worse. Luckily, it did not hit the Space Station. But it came within <\/span> eight-tenths of a mile. The astronauts were in their capsule <\/span>, ready to evacuate <\/span>. It was a close call. The crash almost happened, but it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Anyone who drives a car has had a close call. When we\u2019re driving, we often encounter situations <\/span> that might have been bad, but weren\u2019t. That\u2019s a reality <\/span> of being on the road. Someone pulls out in front of you. You turn, but didn\u2019t see another car or a pedestrian <\/span>. An animal <\/span> runs out in front of your vehicle <\/span>. You change lanes <\/span> without looking behind you, or someone else does that to you. You glance in your mirror <\/span>\u2014or, let\u2019s be honest\u2014at your phone, and you didn\u2019t see the car in front of you stop. In most cases, we as drivers are able to react in time to avert disaster <\/span>. Many times, we can react fast enough so that there isn\u2019t much real danger. <\/p>\n Sometimes, though, you very nearly <\/span> have an accident. For most of us, it\u2019s not often, but it does happen sometimes. You hit the brakes <\/span> and you just barely stop <\/span> before hitting the car in front of you. Maybe you stop just a few inches from the other car. Your heart starts beating fast <\/span> and you think, \u201cwow, that was a close call.\u201d Wow, that was almost a bad situation, but we narrowly avoided it <\/span>.<\/p>\n You can use \u201cclose call\u201d with natural disasters <\/span>. Houston, the fourth-largest American city, is on the Gulf of Mexico, an area that gets a lot of hurricanes. They are worried that a powerful hurricane might send a surge of water <\/span> into the city. They process a lot of oil and chemicals <\/span> in Houston, so a bad storm could cause environmental damage <\/span>. Last month, Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf of Mexico. It affected Houston, but did not directly hit Houston. This was a close call. If the storm had hit Houston directly, it might have been the bad situation everyone has been afraid of. So after experiencing <\/span> this close call, they are now thinking seriously again about building storm barriers <\/span>.<\/p>\n That often happens after close calls, right? We nearly experience a disaster, and then afterward <\/span> we want to be more prepared <\/span> for the future. Think about the last time that happened in your car. You\u2019ll probably be more careful in the few days after you experience a close call.<\/p>\n It often happens that way with health. Picture someone who is older and a little overweight <\/span>. Imagine that person has a minor heart attack <\/span>. It\u2019s possible to survive <\/span> a minor heart attack if you go to the hospital and get medication <\/span> to increase blood flow <\/span> to the heart. But a heart attack is a dangerous thing: you can absolutely die from one; it happens every day. If, however, a person survives a minor heart attack, you would definitely say that person had a close call. And often after having a close call, we change our behavior a little. Something bad almost happened; the person changed his or her behavior\u2014eating better, exercising more, being proactive with medication <\/span>, whatever.<\/p>\n Here are some other examples of a \u201cclose call.\u201d Because of an air-traffic control error <\/span>, an airplane, as it is landing, passes within a few feet of <\/span> the other planes on the runway <\/span> waiting to take off. That could have been bad; it was a close call. You are the victim <\/span> of a gunshot wound <\/span>, but the bullet <\/span> doesn\u2019t hit any vital organs <\/span> and surgeons <\/span> can remove the bullet <\/span> from your body. A close call. Your pet accidentally eats something poisonous <\/span>. He gets his stomach pumped <\/span> at the vet\u2019s office and he survives. I saw news of people out camping in California and the wildfires caught up to them quickly. They weren\u2019t paying attention to the news on their camping trip and found the fires quickly approaching <\/span>. They were able to escape by car, but it was a close call.<\/p>\n Those are all serious situations. But you can use \u201cclose call\u201d even in situations that are not very serious. The other day I almost knocked a full cup of coffee off the counter in the morning; I wasn\u2019t fully awake yet. It didn\u2019t spill, but it was a close call. The Chicago Bears football team was winning in the fourth quarter of their game against the New York Giants this year. The Giants were right about to score and take the lead <\/span> when time ran out in the game. For the Bears, it was a close call. They almost lost.<\/p>\n In these situations that are not life-and-death, you can use \u201cclose call\u201d to almost playfully suggest <\/span> that something bad almost happened. If you really have to use the restroom but there isn\u2019t one nearby, and you search and search. You finally find one and rush off <\/span> to use it. You might come out and joke to your friends or family, \u201cWow, that was a close call.\u201d Disaster averted <\/span>! <\/p>\n JR\u2019s Song of the Week is \u201cHeaven is a Place on Earth\u201d by Belinda Carlisle. It came out in 1987 and was popular in the US, Canada, and Europe and narrowly missed out on a Grammy Award. \u201cHeaven is a Place on Earth\u201d by Belinda Carlisle, and you can play that song right from your dashboard as a member at PlainEnglish.com\u2014membership is free.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all today.<\/p>\n I hope you enjoyed today\u2019s lesson. If you did, then you might enjoy becoming a Plain English Plus+<\/a> member. Plus members have access to a step-by-step video lesson, the fast version of the audio, translations, quizzes, pronunciation exercises, and much more. It\u2019s a great way to take the next step in English, and you get to do it with a fantastic and supportive community of members. Sign up today at PlainEnglish.com\/Plus<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A \u201cclose call\u201d is when something bad or dangerous almost happens \u2013 but doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":7684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"terminology_category":[139],"lesson_number":[930],"keywords":[664,931],"content_tag":[],"level":[],"class_list":["post-7683","expressions","type-expressions","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","terminology_category-expression","lesson_number-930","keywords-call","keywords-close"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJR\u2019s song of the week<\/h3>\n
See you next time!<\/h3>\n