spitting distance
Close proximity or a short distance, as to or away from some desired thing, person, goal, or objective. Used especially in the phrase "in/within spitting distance." A victory was within spitting distance for the home team, but a late penalty kick robbed them of their prize. My grandmother's house is rather old and a bit spooky, but it's in spitting distance of the ocean, so it was always a favorite summer destination when we were kids.
spitting distance
A very short distance, as in We were in spitting distance of winning the pennant but then we lost three games in a row . Alluding to the relatively short distance over which one's spit will carry, this idiom was first recorded in 1895 as within spitting range.