breathing space

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See also: breathing-space

English

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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breathing space (countable and uncountable, plural breathing spaces)

  1. Sufficient space or a span of time in which to recover one's breath.
    Synonyms: breathing room, breathing spell, breathing while
    • 1842, Thomas Babbington Macaulay, Horatius, stanza 45:
      He reeled, and on Herminius
      He leaned one breathing-space;
      Then, like a wild cat mad with wounds,
      Sprang right at Astur's face.
  2. A rest, pause, or respite.
  3. Enough distance so that one can feel unfettered.
    Don't fret, in our division you get a lot of breathing space.
    • 1951 January, “The Inner Circle and its Rolling Stock”, in Railway Magazine, page 58:
      By this time the difference between first and third class accommodation had become nominal, and was measured in "breathing space" during peak hours rather than in quality.
    • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph[1]:
      Martin Kelly then finished with power to provide some breathing space before Craig Dawson’s scored his fourth goal in five England Under-21 appearances with a looping header.