close on the heels of
Near in time or place; very close.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Summer is close on the heels of spring.”
“The new manager arrived close on the heels of the previous one's sudden resignation.”
“The economic recovery followed close on the heels of the crisis, bringing a sense of relief to the struggling nation.”
- 01
bring to heel
To compel someone to obey; to force someone into a submissive condition.
- 02
close enough for government work
Adequate; acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.
- 03
close in on
To enclose around; to tighten or shrink; to collapse.
- 04
close one eye
to look the other way, to deliberately ignore or overlook (a mistake or transgression).
- 05
close one's eyes
To ignore something.
- 06
close one's mind
To refuse to understand things.
- 07
close season
A situation or period in which some activity is forbidden or discontinued.
- 08
close the book on
To stop worrying about or trying to do something about; to ignore.
Last updated August 10, 2026