| 释义 |
noun ɪn(t)ʃɪn(t)ʃ 1A unit of linear measure equal to one twelfth of a foot (2.54 cm) the toy train is four inches long eighteen inches of thread Example sentencesExamples - She weighed 186 pounds and was five feet four inches tall.
- The units can be feet, inches or any other measurement, so long as it's consistent.
- When you use this routine, set the input units to feet and inches.
- Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took the measurement and said, ‘Eighteen feet, six inches,’ and walked away.
- A meter is about three feet and three inches and a kilometer equals about six tenths of a mile.
- Together, the two measured 82 feet 5 inches in length and were launched vertically.
- The boys take out a measuring tape and measure her: she is four feet, 10 inches tall.
- I still talk about acres, yards, feet and inches; not forgetting gallons and pints and also hundredweights pounds and ounces.
- Are you sure you are measuring in inches and not centimeters?
- Progress can be slow; you measure it in inches and feet, not miles or kilograms.
- We asked the surgeon, are you talking millimeters, centimeters, inches?
- Each one had six feet by eighteen inches to call their own and the privacy was almost nil.
- The prints are available in various sizes from 8 by 10 inches to 44 inches by 10 feet.
- He was a rather small man and stood only a few inches above Mary, who one could measure at five feet and four inches.
- The square measured approximately two inches from side to side.
- The original instrument is a wooden tube (possibly of Yew wood), slightly tapered, and measuring six foot four inches in length.
- There were two beds shoved in either corner of the room with about a foot to eighteen inches of room in between each one.
- It was big, maybe eighteen inches from feet to head.
- The size is due to a screen which measures a massive four inches diagonally.
- Arriving there, Legrand noted one particular ledge about twelve inches wide and eighteen inches long, several feet below the top of the rock.
- 1.1inchesinformal A person's height or waist measurement.
my only reservation is the goalkeeper's lack of inches Example sentencesExamples - Chef to the stars Juliano is the gourmet genius who has created a diet that he claims has taken years off her appearance and inches off her waist.
- Plenty of cheesy sandwiches and desserts to add inches to the waist.
- Schlosser believes the damage wrought by fast food companies on America is even deeper than adding inches to the national waistline.
- I had the peat mud wrap, but in the past I've had Pevonia's green coffee wrap at the Monart spa, in Ireland, which took inches off my waistline.
- 1.2often with negative A very small amount or distance.
I had no intention of budging an inch Example sentencesExamples - Bagai brought up her face, their eyes distanced by mere inches.
- I want carnage, I want blood, I want screaming in the cathedrals; I want begging and repentance and the look on your face when you realise that I'm not budging an inch.
- If she doesn't budge an inch, it may be time to call in the reinforcements (that means ask your parents or school counselors to step in).
- After setting the distance in inches of my average step, I hooked it on to my waistband and flounced around the kitchen and dining room for several minutes.
- She boosted him up one-handed, and her smile was shaky as she faced him from a distance of inches.
- Perhaps that was you, the pudgy little yuppie-boy, who wouldn't budge even an inch to let me get a drink at the bar?
- The Senate conferees would not budge an inch from their original position.
- Azrael remained relaxed, just waiting for Richard to come inches within his distance.
- Thirdly, despite working crazy hours I seemed to have all the ingredients needed for this particular tart without budging an inch.
- He budged not one inch on the bitter controversies dividing his party…
- If he wants to knock back our amendments, we won't be budging an inch.
- Yes, indeed, the transgenerational poor are excluded, as the bottom fifth of our population has not budged an inch in the luxe explosion.
- Overall, everyone's favourite self-indulgent superpower hasn't budged an inch.
- The CPI has said the government refused to budge an inch despite several pleas by delegations which have met the Home Minister.
- Our glass didn't budge an inch and neither of us thought of Jane.
- New Labour, like the rest of us, must surely know they're going to romp the next election but they aren't prepared to budge an inch just in case.
- Not that this has persuaded any of Mr Keyes' successors at the Dublin Custom House over the past half century or so to budge an inch.
- Fact is, as this tricky little self-delusional phrase indicates, corporately we're not budging an inch, and never will until we're all dead of profit.
- Autorickshaw drivers, on the other hand, refuse to budge an inch on the issue of switching to digital meters.
- Scalia budged not one inch during the question-and-answer period after a speech Tuesday at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Synonyms little bit, small amount, particle, degree, speck, fragment, scrap, crumb, grain, morsel, taste, soupçon, shred, mite, dash, drop, pinch, ounce, touch, tinge, dab, jot, iota, whit, tittle, jot or tittle, atom, snippet, sliver, smattering, scintilla, hint, suggestion, whisper, trifle
2(as a unit of rainfall) a quantity that would cover a horizontal surface to a depth of one inch, equivalent to 253.7 cubic metres per hectare. more than four inches of rain is expected Example sentencesExamples - Almost four inches of rain fell on the region during a 12-hour period.
- Boscastle, on the north coast of Cornwall, was struck after a downpour in which seven inches of rain fell in nine hours.
- Wiltshire was hit by flash floods on Tuesday after inches of torrential rain fell on the district.
- Norden, Milnrow and Sudden were the worst hit areas in the storm - which is being blamed on freak weather sweeping in from Spain - where nearly an inch of rain fell within an hour.
- In July in 1861, an incredible 366 inches of rain fell during what had been a record-breaking year for rainfall in the region.
- 2.1 (as a unit of atmospheric pressure) an amount that would support a column of mercury one-inch high in a barometer (equal to 33.86 millibars, 29.5 inches being equal to one bar).
Example sentencesExamples - Average barometric pressure in Tampa Bay during the summer is about 29.8 inches of mercury or about 1013 millibar (mb).
- The amount of vacuum, in inches of mercury, is equal to the weight of the column of water from the water table to the surface.
- Readings are calculated using the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, humidity in percentage of relative humidity, and barometric pressure in inches of mercury.
- P2 is the actual barometric pressure, expressed in inches of mercury, at the cruise altitude above the destination airport.
- What is the formula for converting pressure in millibars of pressure to inches of mercury?
- 2.2 (as a unit of map scale) so many inches representing one mile on the ground.
in combination one-inch maps of the east Midland counties Example sentencesExamples - For every town five detailed maps were drawn at a scale of two inches to the mile, accompanied by a legend.
- It is easier in fact to just accept that approximately one mile on the ground is about an inch on the map.
- Physically, it measures 24 by 28 feet and provides a scale of one inch to one mile.
- A prime objective was to produce a map on the scale of one inch to the mile for the entire British Isles.
- The charts of Moresby and Elwon were drafted by Felix Jones to a scale of one inch to the mile (in the trickier parts, ten inches to the mile), and published in 1834.
verb ɪn(t)ʃɪn(t)ʃ 1no object, with adverbial of direction Move along slowly and carefully. he inched away as I approached figurative Spain's conservatives are inching ahead Example sentencesExamples - The room was pitch black as he entered and inched along the carpeted floor.
- The light was inching along slowly, but it had almost finished its circuit.
- Limited visibility due to heavy rain and massive traffic jams forced us to inch along in the Blazer.
- Asha slowly inched along the wall, but Lucas followed her, practically stepping on top of her.
- I sat upstairs and squinted into shop windows as the bus inched along.
- Aubrey let go of my shoulders and we inched along the fallen rocks, his hand between my shoulder blades.
- Stealthily, you inch along a narrow and foreboding corridor.
- Turning away to look helplessly at Kaethe, he inched sideways along the wall like a retreating crab.
- The traffic seemed to be inching along for the first 30 minutes and there was plenty of time to look around.
- At this point, Jenni had begun to inch away along the wall, palms pressed against the rough surface of the wall.
- ‘It is always a magical experience to come back here,’ says Caroline as we inch along the banks of the salmon stream flowing past the lodge.
- Work on the long anticipated National Pension Scheme has been inching along slowly but surely.
- Mackenzie inched along slowly as he probed for sure footing with each step.
- When I was on the other side, I lowered myself to my belly and inched along the hardwood floor.
- I inched along the bottom, lying as flat as I could and head-on, as far as I could judge, to the direction of the moving water.
- As I sat on a bus today, inching along in traffic, it became clear to me that all buses should be free.
- We moved silently, talking in whispers, inching along on our scraping skis.
- He inched along the wooden corridor holding his breath and gritting his teeth with each step.
- It was a slow day for all concerned as South Africa inched along at barely three runs an over, but they had their plan and they were sticking with it.
- Rachel inched along the edge of the shrubbery towards the opposite side of the fountain.
Synonyms move slowly, ease, edge, move, manoeuvre, steer, slip, squeeze, slide - 1.1with object and adverbial of direction Cause (something) to move slowly and carefully.
he inched the car forward Example sentencesExamples - Only the edge of her profile was visible, so I inched it forward to get a better view.
- Perhaps mine just has a slippery slope and I have been slowly inching my family toward the sharp edge of the cliff.
- The screwdriver barely fit, and he was just tall enough to reach it, but it was enough, and he started to slowly inch the screws out of the door.
- They kept begging and pleading with him, but he kept relentlessly inching the vehicle forward.
- When the movie resumed, Jude slowly began inching my blanket onto him.
- He would slowly inch his finger into the case while his comrades watched, rubbing their hands together in maniacal glee.
- I inched my foot over towards Kira, lifting it up over her tiny, sandaled toes.
- The diesel engine purrs and inches the boat forward, allowing tall waves to strike the boat sideways.
- Slowly, millimetre by careful millimetre, she inched her hand towards the pouch.
- She placed her hand on the door frame, carefully inching the side of her body around to see…
- Retrieving the pot from the center of the table, Lorna refilled his cup and inched it forward.
- His hands found the zipper at the back of her dress and slowly inched it down, not wanting to startle her.
- He inched his little body forward slightly and started to nibble.
- As the theater grows dark, Kyle shuts up, puts his popcorn in his lap, and slowly inches his arm around the back of Kenzie's seat.
- As he inched the jeep forward, Jim could see that the asteroid debris in this area was disturbed.
- The engine revved as she gunned it, then inched it forward and down over the bank onto the solid gravel beside the water.
- Aleck tried to pull the ring off, by slowly inching it forward and twisting from side to side, but had no luck either.
- Rondo screeched as she was bashed by winter seas so big and heavy that they slowly inched the ship across the 100 ft-wide island.
- He suddenly snapped his gaze onto me and glared, causing me to slowly inch my body away from him in fear.
- So as she saw him slowly inching his face to hers, she couldn't help but inch toward him as well.
Phrases the shot missed her by inches Example sentencesExamples - But Mooney was out of luck when his sizzling low drive missed the post by inches.
- The next day, Stone Phillips missed me by inches on a shot near the ninth fairway.
- Traffic police said they believe a gust of wind uprooted the tree and sent it smashing on to Moira's new black VW Golf, slicing through the roof and missing her by inches.
- Minutes later he missed a tempting cross by inches.
- It missed me by inches and shattered when it hit the wall.
- He was taken to hospital in Chorley with cuts and bruises after part of the lorry smashed through his windscreen missing his head by inches.
- He was so drunk he fell into the wall, missing me by inches.
- A coach driver cheated death when a gang of youths hurled lumps of concrete through his windscreen as he drove under a bridge - missing him by inches.
- A court heard that Bradley became annoyed after a shot missed his head by inches and none of Mr Haley's group had shouted ‘fore’ to warn him.
- Luckily for him, the Brazilian's shot misses the far post by inches.
Synonyms by a narrow margin, narrowly, only just, by inches, by a hair's breadth, by the narrowest of margins
give someone an inch and he (or she) will take a mile proverb Once concessions have been made to someone they will demand a great deal. she stared back at him, refusing to give him an inch Example sentencesExamples - You give her an inch, she'll take a mile. Next thing you know, she's expecting you to clean up after yourself, pick out your own clothes for the day, and even flush the toilet.
- And he's proven in the past that, if you give him an inch, he'll take a mile.
- Never lend Mike any money, he is something of a kind that you give him an inch and he will take a mile.
inch by inch he crept along the wall Example sentencesExamples - My reputation was earned inch by inch, slowly and painfully.
- The woman's voice rose higher, quivering, filled with the pain of who knew how many fights, with the water of how many hells, which approached him as soon as the dam broke, advancing inch by inch.
- Although toxic floodwaters receded inch by inch, only five of New Orleans' normal contingent of 148 drainage pumps were operating, the corps said.
- The tide rose noticeably inch by inch, creeping up the two seaward tires alarmingly, my tires spun ever-deeper holes in the wet sand.
- After a few moments of just pulling with no reaction from the sled, and one foot slipping up on the ground, Buck actually begins to move the sled forward very slowly, inch by inch!
- For the next three hours, the structure was edged into place inch by inch, so slowly that at times it seemed to be motionless in midair.
- You measure progress inch by inch, not by leaps and bounds.
- Despite everything that weighs us down, we continue to creep forward inch by inch.
- Slowly, inch by inch, the rope moved across the room.
- Some of which we can now queue to see, filing along inch by inch, but much of which is still hidden two metres below the city's Georgian architecture.
Synonyms slowly, moderately, unhurriedly, cautiously, gently, gingerly, circumspectly, unspectacularly
her mouth was within an inch of his chin Example sentencesExamples - Her clothing was caught in the vehicle and a wheel came within an inch of her before she was thrown clear, said Tom Storey, prosecuting.
- Even if they weren't, their performance last year, when they came within an inch of beating Caltra in the Connacht final, suggested that they were contenders.
- A teenager came within an inch of losing an eye after he was blasted in the face by an airgun thug.
- Or more accurately for me, within an inch of the toilet bowl.
- Because the computer ‘camera’ occupies no space in this virtual reality, objects like bubbles can pass within an inch of your cheek.
- The first designer flats and homes appeared near to City's home some years ago, and soon enough, miracles aside, they will march all over the turf, no doubt packed in to within an inch of what is allowed.
- Every chip would drop within an inch of the other.
- Over-civilization and barbarism are within an inch of each other…
- The camera drops to within an inch of the macadam so that our brains, too, can get a good rattle, as Jason and Marie's car seems to race straight out of the screen.
- I hadn't realised how close he was and consequently find myself within an inch of his mouth if I tilt my head upwards.
(to) within an inch of one's life Almost to the point of death. he was beaten within an inch of his life Example sentencesExamples - Unable to understand his account of where he lived, the cops dropped him in the wrong part of town, where he was robbed and beaten to within an inch of his life.
- Taxis aren't much better with drivers that leave you within an inch of your life.
- But we are appealing to all parents to rethink smacking for the sake of the small number of children whose parents or carers beat and thrash them within an inch of their life.
- And I'm not going to spare you, I'm going to pummel you within an inch of your life.
- She (the policewoman) came within an inch of her life and I regard her as fortunate at the end to survive.
- Just for that, I'm going to email Fitz and tell him to beat you within an inch of your life with a wet noodle the next time he sees you..
- If not, how about frightening said child within an inch of his life?
- Ideally, you would take your tormentor out to the car park and pistol-whip him within an inch of his life, but this is not always practical in an office environment.
- She battered him to within an inch of his life before passers-by rescued him.
- No stripping to the waist and getting whipped to within an inch of my life?
Origin Late Old English ynce, from Latin uncia 'twelfth part', from unus 'one' (probably denoting a unit). Compare with ounce1. The inch and the ounce have the same ultimate origin, both going back to Latin uncia ‘twelfth part’. The observation give someone an inch and they will take a mile dates from the mid 16th century. Originally people often took an ell rather than a mile (an ell is an old measure equal to just over a metre, used especially for cloth). The inch in the name of some Scottish islands, such as Inchcolm, is a completely different word, deriving from Scottish Gaelic innis ‘island, land by a river’.
Rhymes cinch, clinch, finch, flinch, lynch, Minch, pinch, squinch, winch noun ɪn(t)ʃɪn(t)ʃ Scottish in place names A small island or a small area of high land.
Origin Middle English: from Scottish Gaelic innis. nounɪn(t)ʃin(t)SH 1A unit of linear measure equal to one twelfth of a foot (2.54 cm) the toy train is four inches long eighteen inches of thread Example sentencesExamples - Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took the measurement and said, ‘Eighteen feet, six inches,’ and walked away.
- The original instrument is a wooden tube (possibly of Yew wood), slightly tapered, and measuring six foot four inches in length.
- He was a rather small man and stood only a few inches above Mary, who one could measure at five feet and four inches.
- We asked the surgeon, are you talking millimeters, centimeters, inches?
- Progress can be slow; you measure it in inches and feet, not miles or kilograms.
- Are you sure you are measuring in inches and not centimeters?
- Each one had six feet by eighteen inches to call their own and the privacy was almost nil.
- The units can be feet, inches or any other measurement, so long as it's consistent.
- There were two beds shoved in either corner of the room with about a foot to eighteen inches of room in between each one.
- The boys take out a measuring tape and measure her: she is four feet, 10 inches tall.
- The size is due to a screen which measures a massive four inches diagonally.
- When you use this routine, set the input units to feet and inches.
- Arriving there, Legrand noted one particular ledge about twelve inches wide and eighteen inches long, several feet below the top of the rock.
- A meter is about three feet and three inches and a kilometer equals about six tenths of a mile.
- I still talk about acres, yards, feet and inches; not forgetting gallons and pints and also hundredweights pounds and ounces.
- The prints are available in various sizes from 8 by 10 inches to 44 inches by 10 feet.
- The square measured approximately two inches from side to side.
- She weighed 186 pounds and was five feet four inches tall.
- It was big, maybe eighteen inches from feet to head.
- Together, the two measured 82 feet 5 inches in length and were launched vertically.
- 1.1often with negative A very small amount or distance.
I had no intention of budging an inch Example sentencesExamples - Fact is, as this tricky little self-delusional phrase indicates, corporately we're not budging an inch, and never will until we're all dead of profit.
- Thirdly, despite working crazy hours I seemed to have all the ingredients needed for this particular tart without budging an inch.
- If she doesn't budge an inch, it may be time to call in the reinforcements (that means ask your parents or school counselors to step in).
- New Labour, like the rest of us, must surely know they're going to romp the next election but they aren't prepared to budge an inch just in case.
- Perhaps that was you, the pudgy little yuppie-boy, who wouldn't budge even an inch to let me get a drink at the bar?
- Bagai brought up her face, their eyes distanced by mere inches.
- She boosted him up one-handed, and her smile was shaky as she faced him from a distance of inches.
- The Senate conferees would not budge an inch from their original position.
- If he wants to knock back our amendments, we won't be budging an inch.
- Azrael remained relaxed, just waiting for Richard to come inches within his distance.
- Yes, indeed, the transgenerational poor are excluded, as the bottom fifth of our population has not budged an inch in the luxe explosion.
- Not that this has persuaded any of Mr Keyes' successors at the Dublin Custom House over the past half century or so to budge an inch.
- He budged not one inch on the bitter controversies dividing his party…
- Our glass didn't budge an inch and neither of us thought of Jane.
- I want carnage, I want blood, I want screaming in the cathedrals; I want begging and repentance and the look on your face when you realise that I'm not budging an inch.
- After setting the distance in inches of my average step, I hooked it on to my waistband and flounced around the kitchen and dining room for several minutes.
- Scalia budged not one inch during the question-and-answer period after a speech Tuesday at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
- Overall, everyone's favourite self-indulgent superpower hasn't budged an inch.
- The CPI has said the government refused to budge an inch despite several pleas by delegations which have met the Home Minister.
- Autorickshaw drivers, on the other hand, refuse to budge an inch on the issue of switching to digital meters.
Synonyms little bit, small amount, particle, degree, speck, fragment, scrap, crumb, grain, morsel, taste, soupçon, shred, mite, dash, drop, pinch, ounce, touch, tinge, dab, jot, iota, whit, tittle, jot or tittle, atom, snippet, sliver, smattering, scintilla, hint, suggestion, whisper, trifle
2(as a unit of rainfall) a quantity that would cover a horizontal surface to a depth of one inch. Example sentencesExamples - Wiltshire was hit by flash floods on Tuesday after inches of torrential rain fell on the district.
- Norden, Milnrow and Sudden were the worst hit areas in the storm - which is being blamed on freak weather sweeping in from Spain - where nearly an inch of rain fell within an hour.
- In July in 1861, an incredible 366 inches of rain fell during what had been a record-breaking year for rainfall in the region.
- Boscastle, on the north coast of Cornwall, was struck after a downpour in which seven inches of rain fell in nine hours.
- Almost four inches of rain fell on the region during a 12-hour period.
- 2.1 (as a unit of atmospheric pressure) an amount that would support a column of mercury one-inch high in a barometer (equal to 33.86 millibars, 29.5 inches being equal to one bar).
Example sentencesExamples - Readings are calculated using the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, humidity in percentage of relative humidity, and barometric pressure in inches of mercury.
- Average barometric pressure in Tampa Bay during the summer is about 29.8 inches of mercury or about 1013 millibar (mb).
- The amount of vacuum, in inches of mercury, is equal to the weight of the column of water from the water table to the surface.
- P2 is the actual barometric pressure, expressed in inches of mercury, at the cruise altitude above the destination airport.
- What is the formula for converting pressure in millibars of pressure to inches of mercury?
verbɪn(t)ʃin(t)SH 1no object, with adverbial of direction Move slowly and carefully in a specified direction. the 2,000 mourners inched along narrow country lanes figurative the stock market inched ahead today Example sentencesExamples - The traffic seemed to be inching along for the first 30 minutes and there was plenty of time to look around.
- The room was pitch black as he entered and inched along the carpeted floor.
- Stealthily, you inch along a narrow and foreboding corridor.
- I sat upstairs and squinted into shop windows as the bus inched along.
- The light was inching along slowly, but it had almost finished its circuit.
- At this point, Jenni had begun to inch away along the wall, palms pressed against the rough surface of the wall.
- Asha slowly inched along the wall, but Lucas followed her, practically stepping on top of her.
- Rachel inched along the edge of the shrubbery towards the opposite side of the fountain.
- Mackenzie inched along slowly as he probed for sure footing with each step.
- It was a slow day for all concerned as South Africa inched along at barely three runs an over, but they had their plan and they were sticking with it.
- Turning away to look helplessly at Kaethe, he inched sideways along the wall like a retreating crab.
- Work on the long anticipated National Pension Scheme has been inching along slowly but surely.
- ‘It is always a magical experience to come back here,’ says Caroline as we inch along the banks of the salmon stream flowing past the lodge.
- We moved silently, talking in whispers, inching along on our scraping skis.
- Limited visibility due to heavy rain and massive traffic jams forced us to inch along in the Blazer.
- He inched along the wooden corridor holding his breath and gritting his teeth with each step.
- As I sat on a bus today, inching along in traffic, it became clear to me that all buses should be free.
- Aubrey let go of my shoulders and we inched along the fallen rocks, his hand between my shoulder blades.
- When I was on the other side, I lowered myself to my belly and inched along the hardwood floor.
- I inched along the bottom, lying as flat as I could and head-on, as far as I could judge, to the direction of the moving water.
Synonyms move slowly, ease, edge, move, manoeuvre, steer, slip, squeeze, slide - 1.1with object and adverbial of direction Cause (something) to move slowly and carefully.
he inched the car forward Example sentencesExamples - His hands found the zipper at the back of her dress and slowly inched it down, not wanting to startle her.
- As the theater grows dark, Kyle shuts up, puts his popcorn in his lap, and slowly inches his arm around the back of Kenzie's seat.
- The diesel engine purrs and inches the boat forward, allowing tall waves to strike the boat sideways.
- Retrieving the pot from the center of the table, Lorna refilled his cup and inched it forward.
- He inched his little body forward slightly and started to nibble.
- They kept begging and pleading with him, but he kept relentlessly inching the vehicle forward.
- Aleck tried to pull the ring off, by slowly inching it forward and twisting from side to side, but had no luck either.
- He would slowly inch his finger into the case while his comrades watched, rubbing their hands together in maniacal glee.
- I inched my foot over towards Kira, lifting it up over her tiny, sandaled toes.
- When the movie resumed, Jude slowly began inching my blanket onto him.
- The engine revved as she gunned it, then inched it forward and down over the bank onto the solid gravel beside the water.
- The screwdriver barely fit, and he was just tall enough to reach it, but it was enough, and he started to slowly inch the screws out of the door.
- Rondo screeched as she was bashed by winter seas so big and heavy that they slowly inched the ship across the 100 ft-wide island.
- Only the edge of her profile was visible, so I inched it forward to get a better view.
- So as she saw him slowly inching his face to hers, she couldn't help but inch toward him as well.
- As he inched the jeep forward, Jim could see that the asteroid debris in this area was disturbed.
- He suddenly snapped his gaze onto me and glared, causing me to slowly inch my body away from him in fear.
- She placed her hand on the door frame, carefully inching the side of her body around to see…
- Slowly, millimetre by careful millimetre, she inched her hand towards the pouch.
- Perhaps mine just has a slippery slope and I have been slowly inching my family toward the sharp edge of the cliff.
Phrases the shot missed her by inches Example sentencesExamples - Luckily for him, the Brazilian's shot misses the far post by inches.
- The next day, Stone Phillips missed me by inches on a shot near the ninth fairway.
- Traffic police said they believe a gust of wind uprooted the tree and sent it smashing on to Moira's new black VW Golf, slicing through the roof and missing her by inches.
- A coach driver cheated death when a gang of youths hurled lumps of concrete through his windscreen as he drove under a bridge - missing him by inches.
- A court heard that Bradley became annoyed after a shot missed his head by inches and none of Mr Haley's group had shouted ‘fore’ to warn him.
- He was taken to hospital in Chorley with cuts and bruises after part of the lorry smashed through his windscreen missing his head by inches.
- He was so drunk he fell into the wall, missing me by inches.
- But Mooney was out of luck when his sizzling low drive missed the post by inches.
- Minutes later he missed a tempting cross by inches.
- It missed me by inches and shattered when it hit the wall.
2Very slowly and gradually; bit by bit. you can't let him die by inches like this Example sentencesExamples - No, we - and most of the warrior Houses - have always felt that an overdose of painkillers in those cases is far better than to slip away by inches.
- It's hard to watch your son or your daughter dying by inches.
- But when we see a man destroy himself by inches, I hope we can muster up some compassion.
- More importantly we do not want to die in a manner which brings pain to those we love most, for I do not believe there is any worse pain than watching someone you love die by inches.
- Death by inches and hideous mutilation are the invariable measure meted out to all who fall in battle into the hands of the Pathan tribesmen.
- And wit is plentiful, edged with sadness: Hockstader is dying by inches.
- Compromises like that pay lip service to the marriage institution while the individuals within it die by inches.
- When personal liberties are lost in this country, it happens by inches at a time.
- We but dishonour those who died in dying ourselves by inches.
- A Russian woman who never learned a stick of English is dying by inches up on the third floor of the Northwest corner of Greenwich.
1The whole surface, distance, or area. between them they know every inch of the country Example sentencesExamples - Mike has subjected every inch of the floor and cabinet area around the sink to a microscopic sniff test.
- But every inch of canvas is the product of hard conceptual crafting.
- The pavement is so uneven that it seems almost a work of art, cars occupy every inch of space, and pickpockets make a good living.
- Kits were designed to cover every inch of visible flesh but they survived long after such heavily mannered prudishness had deceased.
- Our driver, a prosperous local farmer from the area, knows every inch of the land.
- He knew every inch of that museum, every painting, every room.
- Danger lurks every inch of the treacherous stretch with no reflectors or signboards to indicate the width of the road.
- If human beings have the right to occupy every inch of the earth, so do animals.
- Our hosts, Norsemaid Charters, have been in the business for 15 years and know every inch of the area.
- She realized, however, that she could not do it alone, even if she filled every inch of her small home and yard with plants.
he's every inch the gentleman Example sentencesExamples - Gregson looks every inch the private banker: tall, bald, bespectacled, carefully dressed in a dark suit.
- Resplendent in their burgundy and yellow strip, the Salisbury side took the field looking every inch a professional outfit.
- Feverishly chewing gum and shifting nervously in his seat he looked every inch what he was… a politician under siege.
- Today, the 50-year-old looks every inch the cowboy that he plays in the remake of the classic Western.
- Contrary to my expectations, he was every inch the country gentleman, a charming and solicitous host.
- On the surface he appeared every inch the successful businessman but we discovered a dark past.
- Clad in sou'wester and thigh boots, his rugged, bearded features are every inch the Victorian lifeboatman.
- Immaculately besuited, he is every inch the genial Latino gentleman.
- Fully formed now, the man before me today looks every inch the confident star.
- But there was an interesting line from the man who year in year out says that his budgets are every inch a Labor budget.
Synonyms absolutely, completely, totally, fully, wholly
give someone an inch and he (or she) will take a mile proverb Once concessions have been made to someone they will demand a great deal. Example sentencesExamples - And he's proven in the past that, if you give him an inch, he'll take a mile.
- You give her an inch, she'll take a mile. Next thing you know, she's expecting you to clean up after yourself, pick out your own clothes for the day, and even flush the toilet.
- Never lend Mike any money, he is something of a kind that you give him an inch and he will take a mile.
inch by inch he crept along the wall Example sentencesExamples - Despite everything that weighs us down, we continue to creep forward inch by inch.
- For the next three hours, the structure was edged into place inch by inch, so slowly that at times it seemed to be motionless in midair.
- You measure progress inch by inch, not by leaps and bounds.
- My reputation was earned inch by inch, slowly and painfully.
- Slowly, inch by inch, the rope moved across the room.
- The woman's voice rose higher, quivering, filled with the pain of who knew how many fights, with the water of how many hells, which approached him as soon as the dam broke, advancing inch by inch.
- After a few moments of just pulling with no reaction from the sled, and one foot slipping up on the ground, Buck actually begins to move the sled forward very slowly, inch by inch!
- Although toxic floodwaters receded inch by inch, only five of New Orleans' normal contingent of 148 drainage pumps were operating, the corps said.
- The tide rose noticeably inch by inch, creeping up the two seaward tires alarmingly, my tires spun ever-deeper holes in the wet sand.
- Some of which we can now queue to see, filing along inch by inch, but much of which is still hidden two metres below the city's Georgian architecture.
Synonyms slowly, moderately, unhurriedly, cautiously, gently, gingerly, circumspectly, unspectacularly
her mouth was within an inch of his chin Example sentencesExamples - A teenager came within an inch of losing an eye after he was blasted in the face by an airgun thug.
- Even if they weren't, their performance last year, when they came within an inch of beating Caltra in the Connacht final, suggested that they were contenders.
- Every chip would drop within an inch of the other.
- The camera drops to within an inch of the macadam so that our brains, too, can get a good rattle, as Jason and Marie's car seems to race straight out of the screen.
- Or more accurately for me, within an inch of the toilet bowl.
- Because the computer ‘camera’ occupies no space in this virtual reality, objects like bubbles can pass within an inch of your cheek.
- Over-civilization and barbarism are within an inch of each other…
- The first designer flats and homes appeared near to City's home some years ago, and soon enough, miracles aside, they will march all over the turf, no doubt packed in to within an inch of what is allowed.
- I hadn't realised how close he was and consequently find myself within an inch of his mouth if I tilt my head upwards.
- Her clothing was caught in the vehicle and a wheel came within an inch of her before she was thrown clear, said Tom Storey, prosecuting.
(to) within an inch of one's life Almost to the point of death. he was beaten within an inch of his life Example sentencesExamples - Just for that, I'm going to email Fitz and tell him to beat you within an inch of your life with a wet noodle the next time he sees you..
- But we are appealing to all parents to rethink smacking for the sake of the small number of children whose parents or carers beat and thrash them within an inch of their life.
- If not, how about frightening said child within an inch of his life?
- No stripping to the waist and getting whipped to within an inch of my life?
- And I'm not going to spare you, I'm going to pummel you within an inch of your life.
- Ideally, you would take your tormentor out to the car park and pistol-whip him within an inch of his life, but this is not always practical in an office environment.
- She (the policewoman) came within an inch of her life and I regard her as fortunate at the end to survive.
- Unable to understand his account of where he lived, the cops dropped him in the wrong part of town, where he was robbed and beaten to within an inch of his life.
- Taxis aren't much better with drivers that leave you within an inch of your life.
- She battered him to within an inch of his life before passers-by rescued him.
Origin Late Old English ynce, from Latin uncia ‘twelfth part’, from unus ‘one’ (probably denoting a unit). Compare with ounce. nounɪn(t)ʃin(t)SH Scottish in place names A small island or a small area of high land.
Origin Middle English: from Scottish Gaelic innis. |