whis‧ker /ˈwɪskə $ -ər/
noun [countable][
Date: 1600-1700;
Origin: whiskers 'mustache' (16-20 centuries), from whisker 'something that whisks or sweeps' (15-19 centuries), from whisk; because the mustache looks like a small brush]
1. [usually plural] one of the long stiff hairs that grow near the mouth of a cat, mouse etc
2. [usually plural] one of the hairs that grow on a man’s face
3. win/lose by a whisker informal to win or lose by a very small amount:
Schmidt finished second, losing by a whisker in the final event.4. come within a whisker of (doing) something to almost succeed or fail at doing something:
Doctors say he came within a whisker of dying on the operating table. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲