Quote:
Originally Posted by Perikles
Yes, used literally it is. But I think that when used hyperbolically as in Alec's example, I would take "spitting distance" and "a stone's throw" as indistiguishable, both being vague and meaning conveniently near.
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Yes,
conveniently near, as compared to some reference point. Comparing anywhere in Kansas to anywhere within 20 miles of the ocean, less than 20 miles from the coast is "within spitting distance". In the beach resort town where my mother and siblings live, "within spitting distance" is less than 100 yards(meters) from the end of the pavement on the back side of the dune. And among the 5 houses within that 100 yards, only the houses whose lots front on the dune is "within spitting distance".