Asteroid DA14

Asteroid DA14

A close shave

The expression “a close shave” means “just avoiding something bad happening, by luck!”

If you are not looking where you are walking, and you miss a lamppost by 5cm, you could say “that was a close shave”.

If you are talking about someone you don’t like, and they walk in 2 seconds after you have finished insulting them, you could also say that it was “a close shave”.

Or maybe you are late setting off to the airport, and you arrive to the check-in desk 1 minute before it closes…. “that was a close shave!”

We, on earth, experienced a close shave on February 15th when the asteroid DA14 came within 17,200 miles of the earth!

Here is a video from NASA about the asteroid.

Listen out for the expression “a close shave!”, as well as some other useful expressions, some of which are described below:

Littered with = litter is the rubbish you find on the street. If a place is littered with something, it means it is full of something that is not particularly wanted.

Hail from = come from. However, you would used it to talk about the origin of things, rather than people.

Keep track of = to keep updated, to monitor the location and activity of something. For example, NASA have been keeping track on this asteroid for a long time. Parents might also want to keep track of their children when they leave the house.

1200 years or so = when we are not exactly sure of a number, we add “or so” at the end of it, meaning “approximately”.

Spin = this is the movement a spherical object makes when it tuns without necessarily changing direction.

Experience a chill = a chill is a cold sensation. Metaphorically speaking, if you experience a chill, you experience something that makes you a little bit afraid/uncomfortable.