My language peeve this week (so far) is the phrase “near miss,” as in:
“Drunk woman falls onto subway tracks and survives near miss”
My friend Merriam-Webster defines it in the following manner:
1 a : a miss (as with a bomb) close enough to cause damage b : something that falls just short of success
2 a : a near collision (as between aircraft) b : close call
Folks, a “near miss” is a HIT. A “near hit” would be a welcome miss. Or “Hey there, buddy, that was close!” Or “Oh my, we barely missed being victims of a horribly disfiguring accident!” Or just “Good God!”
I’m not the only one who likes to argue this point. Check out the language corner portion of the Columbia Journalism Review.
But to save argument and confusion, doesn’t “close call” work just fine?
Observe and report 
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