dodged bullet
Avoided grave danger
A dodged bullet is a disaster or unpleasant outcome that was narrowly avoided.
The phrase comes from the literal image of evading gunfire, but it's used almost exclusively in figurative contexts: I really dodged a bullet when that deal fell through—the company went bankrupt six months later.
The expression emphasizes luck or timing rather than skill, suggesting the speaker came close to serious harm without fully realizing it at the time.
- close callDisaster narrowly averted
- close shaveNarrow escape from harm
- narrow escapeBarely avoiding disaster
- hair's breadthInfinitesimal distance or margin
- luckyFavored by chance
lucky break · got away · near miss · avoided · sidestepped · evaded · relief · fate · disaster · life or death · matrix · ricochet · graze · duck · reflexes · instinct · whiz · danger
- close callsclose call, near miss, narrow escape, close shave, nick of time
- surprisessurprise party, unexpected gift, plot twist, unexpected event, unexpected success
dodged bulletbad break
Unfortunate turn of events
misfortune · worst-case scenario · ill-fated · Murphy's Law · jinxed
dodged bulletmissed opportunity
Chance not taken
fatal error · costly mistake · learned the hard way · paid the price · blew it
dodge, dodges, dodging, dodger, dodgers, bullet, bullets, bulleted, bulletproof