a miss is as good as a mile
- a miss is as good as a mile
The syntax of the proverb has been distorted by abridgement: the original structure is apparent from quot. 1614.
1614 W. CAMDEN Remains concerning Britain (ed. 2) 303 An ynche in a misse is as good as an ell [a former measure of length equal to about 1.1 m].
1655 T. FULLER Hist. Cambridge 37 An hairs breadth fixed by a divine-finger, shall prove as effec-tuall a separation from danger as a miles distance.
1788 American Museum Apr. 382 A miss is as good as a mile.
1825 SCOTT Journal 3 Dec. (1939) 28 He was very near being a poet—but a miss is as good as a mile, and he always fell short of the mark.
1978 T. SHARPE Throwback vii. If you aimed at a grouse it was hit or miss and a miss was as good as a mile.
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miss is as good as a mile — A miss is as good as a mile means that if you fail, even by the smallest margin, it is still a failure … The small dictionary of idiomes
miss is as good as a mile — It is the same if one fails or misses something by much or by little. A proverb. * /We thought Tom had a home run but the ball went foul by inches. A miss is as good as a mile./ … Dictionary of American idioms
miss is as good as a mile — It is the same if one fails or misses something by much or by little. A proverb. * /We thought Tom had a home run but the ball went foul by inches. A miss is as good as a mile./ … Dictionary of American idioms
miss\ is\ as\ good\ as\ a\ mile — proverb It is the same if one fails or misses something by much or by little. We thought Tom had a home run but the ball went foul by inches. A miss is as good as a mile … Словарь американских идиом
miss is as good as a mile — A miss is as good as a mile means that if you fail, even by the smallest margin, it is still a failure. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
Miss is as good as a mile — A miss is as good as a mile means that if you fail, even by the smallest margin, it is still a failure … Dictionary of English idioms
a miss is as good as a mile — ► a miss is as good as a mile proverb the fact of failure or escape is not affected by the narrowness of the margin. Main Entry: ↑miss … English terms dictionary
(a) miss is as good as a mile. — something that you say which means that failing to do something when you almost succeeded is no better than failing very badly. I ve tried to reassure him that he only failed by three percent but the way he sees it, a miss is as good as a mile … New idioms dictionary
(a) miss is as good as a mile — a ˌmiss is as ˌgood as a ˈmile idiom (saying) there is no real difference between only just failing in sth and failing in it badly because the result is still the same Main entry: ↑missidiom … Useful english dictionary
miss is as good as a mile, a — A narrow escape is as harmless as an easy escape … A concise dictionary of English slang
