More weird sportscasterese ("More than enough")

[Rick Kennerly]

:It is the very common usage, esp. in basketball announcing (where the score
:can change so quickly), "within", as in "they have now got it to
:within one"

And this usage is more widespread than just the sports world.  Mothers, well
my mother, often threatened to beat children within an inch of their lives.
While there are intervals within an inch, lives are not measured in inches.
Or the use where "I came within a hair of being fired".

And, come to think of it, if the game is ongoing, the point spread is 1
point, and the team still has possession of the ball, then that possession
could be counted as a positive increment between the point and the tying
point, so in that sense "within a point" might be acceptable.  But if
possession of the ball turned over, then there would be no positive
increment.  But that's so convoluted that it's only within an Ace of being
acceptable.

Rick Kennerly