whisker

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whisk·er / ˈ(h)wiskər/ • n. 1. a long projecting hair or bristle growing from the face or snout of many mammals. ∎  (whiskers) the hair growing on a man's face, esp. on his cheeks. ∎  a single crystal of a material in the form of a filament with no dislocations.2. (a whisker) inf. a very small amount: they won the election by a whisker.3. a spar for extending the clews of a sail so that it can catch more wind.PHRASES: within a whisker of inf. extremely close or near to doing, achieving, or suffering something.DERIVATIVES: whiskered adj.whiskery adj.

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