Is there a word or idiom that refers to "short distance", other than "walkable" and "a stone's throw"?

Question

Is there a word or an idiom that refers to a short distance to walk to reach the destination? Something more elegant that can replace the following sentences?

Eg: The hotel is within walkable distance. The hotel is a stone's throw (away) from here.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. — tchrist, Jun 11 '17 at 02:20

score 34 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 12:09

34

The hotel is within walking distance of here.

would be a natural phrasing.

answered Jun 08 '17 at 12:09

Colin

1,063

How does this answer the question, OP said they're looking for a sentence that can replace "...within walkable distance". Or are you just correcting "walkable" with "walking"? – BruceWayne Jun 09 '17 at 03:53
4

@BruceWayne It answers the question because it's a common idiom that would be quickly understood and won't sound awkward, while the phrases in the question are not. +1 – jpmc26 Jun 09 '17 at 04:17
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@BruceWayne yes to your latter question (walkable isn't wrong but it's less idiomatic, which I took to bear on the OP's requirement "more elegant") – Colin Jun 09 '17 at 05:06
@ColinZwanziger ahh okay gotcha. Also you could just say "it's walkable". – BruceWayne Jun 09 '17 at 05:49
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Hi @BruceWayne - yes, of course that's correct. The entire nature of this question is that the OP has a typo ("within walkable distance") which should be "within walking distance". – Fattie Jun 09 '17 at 11:55

score 20 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 12:32

20

Spitting distance: very close (Cambridge)

I'm not sure about "more elegant" though. Apparently this might be a British term.

answered Jun 08 '17 at 12:32

Chris H

21,709

2

Yes. Very much a British term. – WS2 Jun 08 '17 at 13:09
14

Nope, not only British. But we 'muricans say it "within spittin' distunce." Definitely not elegant. – cobaltduck Jun 08 '17 at 15:40
3

But this seems less elegant than stone's throw. – Cave Johnson Jun 09 '17 at 00:47
It's also Italian, "A un tiro di sputo". – ASX Jun 09 '17 at 09:20
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However, the phrase can be and is used metaphorically. In Los Angeles, the phrase very much means "within merely 10 minutes driving time, if there's no traffic". The correct solution here is simply to use "within walking distance". – Fattie Jun 09 '17 at 11:54
2

Still more elegant than the parodical "shitting distance"! – Samthere Jun 09 '17 at 12:50
I say this in the US. – MissMonicaE Jun 10 '17 at 17:56

score 18 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 22:44

18

I would say it's just around the corner (even if it's not literally around a corner).

Oxford has this definition:

(just) around (or round) the corner

PHRASE

Very near.
‘there's a pharmacy around the corner’

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it thusly:

(just) around the corner

not far away, or going to happen soon:
There's a great restaurant just around the corner.
I'm feeling a little depressed at the moment, but I'm sure good times are just around the corner.

answered Jun 08 '17 at 22:44

Roger Sinasohn

10,276

1

This is my first choice natural idiom as well, and as Roger said does NOT mean that there really is a corner involved. That said, you should be careful not to use this term in any context where it might be confused with actual directions to the destination. – A C Jun 09 '17 at 16:08
I like this when used metaphorically, in terms of something like finishing a task or an upcoming event. If I heard it used in reference to physical distance, though, I'd expect to see an actual physical corner. – Joel Coehoorn Jun 09 '17 at 20:04
A more rural variation is "just around the bend". Probably from riverboat travel. – Phil Sweet Jun 11 '17 at 13:40
@PhilSweet -- If you're Disney, it's "just around the riverbend." 8^) – Roger Sinasohn Jun 11 '17 at 19:25

score 14 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

You could say it in a few different ways:

I think the simplest and most elegant way would be to say:

The hotel is about 10 minutes walk from here. (substitute 10 with the relevant number)

The rest of the phrases are just as good and simple at conveying the message, though you could use them all interchangeably, depending on the situation:

The hotel is very near.

The hotel is nearby.

The hotel is within walking distance.

The hotel is just a few yards away.

The hotel is right around here.

The hotel is not too far away.

score 12 · Answer 5 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

I'm not sure it's more elegant than "within walking distance", but a phrase that has been embraced within the tourist industry is it's an easy walk. For example:

Beecher's Cascades and Gibb's Falls, within easy walk of the [Crawford House hotel], have many features of beauty and interest. ("Hotels of New Hampshire", The Granite Monthly, 1881)

Malahini Hotel, 217 Saratoga Road, less than a block from the beach and an easy walk to anything in the heart of Waikiki. (Eugene Fodor, Hawaii, 1966, combined snippets)

The hotel is within an easy walk to many of the historical monuments of Rome, including the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore, the Opera House, the Colosseum, and the ... (Frommer's Rome, 2009, combined snippets)

With five hotels an easy walk from the rim of one of the world’s most famous destinations, visitors to Grand Canyon National Park find that parking the car and hoofing it around the village is the best way to travel. ("A Walk In The Park: Grand Canyon Village Is Easy And Convenient Base For Exploring The Park With Choice Of Accommodations, Restaurants And Activities", GrandCanyonLodges.com)

Is the Hotel Spadai an easy walk from Firenze Santa Maria Novella (train station)? (TripAdvisor question)

This phrase actually comes up again and again on sites like TripAdvisor, fwiw. Definitions of the distance covered by the phrase will vary by individual (and in particular the distance meant seems to have declined dramatically over the last century and a half), but I would generally assume it means short by contemporary standards but probably not just next door, and also, notably, fairly level without too many obstacles.

Sometimes a "gentle walk away" too, I think the "easy" part is just to instil a feeling of relaxation. — pbhj, Jun 10 '17 at 20:17

score 7 · Answer 6 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 15:25

7

Yonder , which, according to Anthropology and Human Movement, means within visible range.

Mostly this is a country/red-neck term in the US now. I've definitely heard people use it in conversation though, but not city folks.

For example:

Farm Mechanic (unfortunately extremely racist):

I wish't dat hotel yonder had a thousan' rooms in it

New York teacher:

Now, I'll bet you our common dinner at the hotel yonder, that we shall ride through that group

West Virginia School Journal:

Yonder, across the square, is the old building from which we have come today. It was one of the first school houses erected for the accommodation of the schools of the city

answered Jun 08 '17 at 15:25

DavePhD

10,616

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Comes from Scots by way of Middle English. – AbraCadaver Jun 08 '17 at 17:15
@AbraCadaver Is it still used in UK, or is it archaic? – DavePhD Jun 08 '17 at 17:19
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It's still in use (but not very common). However "yonder" doesn't necessarily mean "close", but "in a particular direction" that has been indicated somehow. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/yonder gives the example "nine miles yonder." As a noun, the oxford dictionary link gives "in the far distance". – alephzero Jun 08 '17 at 18:16
@alephzero Ok, the last time I heard it used I was near Syria, Virginia, and an older lady was trying to tell me what part of her cow pasture to park my car in, on the hundreds of feet scale. – DavePhD Jun 08 '17 at 19:25
1

Looking up the etymology, "yon" means "that". "Yonder hill" just points out a specific hill, whether near or far. – Carl Jun 08 '17 at 22:30
'Yonder' would be a difficult word to use in any situation other than both the provider and recipient of the information being present at the place the hotel is a short distance from. 'Yonder' is a place you indicate from another place. – Spagirl Jun 09 '17 at 10:30
@Spagirl right, like if you can see the hotel up on a hill or a mountain, you could nod or point in that direction and refer to yonder hotel. – DavePhD Jun 09 '17 at 10:33
@Spagirl or like this: "I strolled down from yonder hotel south of the White House" https://books.google.com/books?id=I8NKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA66&dq=%22yonder+hotel%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiL0veKyLDUAhWHHT4KHXq2Ba8Q6AEIUjAJ#v=onepage&q=%22yonder%20hotel%22&f=false – DavePhD Jun 09 '17 at 10:37
My first thought about this word is always this song, which doesn't exactly use it to convey the notion of proximity... – Jules Jun 10 '17 at 01:21
In America, yonder is almost never used for anything nearby, and it's usually meaningless without a gesture. It is hardly ever written. – Jasmine Jun 10 '17 at 17:14

score 5 · Answer 7 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

5

In American English you can use "block".

The hotel is a couple blocks away.

The hotel is just around the block.

Definition from Cambridge Dictionary:

mainly US: the distance along a street from where one road crosses it to the place where the next road crosses it, or one part of a street like this, especially in a town or city:

The museum is just six blocks away.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Jun 08 '17 at 17:35

Scimonster

1,514

1

Dear commentless downvoter: care to explain why this isn't a good answer? – Scimonster Jun 08 '17 at 18:28
How about "just around the block" as idiom. – Jorn Vernee Jun 08 '17 at 21:10
@JornVernee Good idea, added. – Scimonster Jun 09 '17 at 11:13
Yeah, I'd also like to know what the commentless downvoter was thinking! Don – rhetorician Jun 10 '17 at 18:04

score 5 · Answer 8 · answered Jun 09 '17 at 10:16

5

The restaurant is within sight of the hotel.

It is a pleasant stroll to the restaurant.

The restaurant is within shouting distance of the hotel.

answered Jun 09 '17 at 10:16

Amadeus

975

score 5 · Answer 9 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Such a cliché, and yet no-one seems to have suggested it:

________ is conveniently located close to ________________.

People in general, and Americans in particular, enjoy convenience; they don't like being inconvenienced.

My suggestion isn't very idiomatic, but it's a good 'ol standby.

Our golf course is conveniently located just a quarter-mile from the Essex Hotel.

Our spa is conveniently located just five miles from the beach.

The heart of the business district is conveniently located just three miles from the junction of Interstates 36 and 186.

That sort of thing. The just is not necessary, I guess, but it rolls off the tongue quite easily.

score 4 · Answer 10 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 18:46

4

How about "steps away"? For example, "the hotel is in a quiet area, but the hubbub of the downtown core is just steps away".

answered Jun 08 '17 at 18:46

Joe

49

score 3 · Answer 11 · answered Jun 09 '17 at 16:48

3

The hotel is in the neighborhood.

phrase: A place that is in the neighborhood of another place is near it.

answered Jun 09 '17 at 16:48

James

3,741

score 2 · Answer 12 · answered Jun 10 '17 at 23:21

2

I might say "the hotel is just down the street from here". A previous english.sx question is relevant.

answered Jun 10 '17 at 23:21

ajd

163

score 1 · Answer 13 · answered Jun 08 '17 at 22:46

In a similar vein to spitting distance, and even more coarse (definitely not "more elegant" sorry!), is pissing distance. I couldn't find an online definition to link to, but it is definitely used idiomatically to refer to a close distance. According to google Ngrams, it has approximately 1/87th the prevelance of spitting distance within recent searchable books.

score 1 · Answer 14 · answered Jun 10 '17 at 20:25

You could specify proximity according to a desirable characteristic of the second location. For example instead of "the hotel is a short distance from the beach" one could say "we could hear the laughter of the children on the beach from the hotel terrace". Adjust for audience.

Further examples:

"the scents of the arboretum drifted up to us on our hotel balcony"
"you can easily discern the flowers in the window boxes of our hotel room at this distance"

A more passive indication of the proximity; I don't think it had been covered in other response.

score 1 · Answer 15 · answered Jun 10 '17 at 20:38

A typical phrase used in descriptions of hotels and so on is "a few minutes' stroll away" and similar variations, where "a few" might be replaced by a specific number of minutes.

Examples:

BUNGALOW 5-MINUTES STROLL FROM LLANBEDROG BEACH (UK)

Minutes Stroll To Private Beach /5 Min Drive To Scarborough And Wheeler Beaches (USA East coast)

The meet was in a mall just a few minutes' stroll up the paseo.. A book entitled Ballistic

The building is in the heart of West London, only a five minute stroll across the park away from Ravenscourt Park station Airbnb listing in UK.

score 0 · Answer 16 · answered Jun 11 '17 at 13:54

0

A traditional (and somewhat old-fashioned) Irish expression is within an ass's roar of, as in, "close enough to hear a donkey's bray". However, I'm not sure how well this would be understood outside of Ireland.

answered Jun 11 '17 at 13:54

TRiG

6,487

score 0 · Answer 17 · answered Jun 13 '17 at 20:52

0

Here are a couple that feel pretty natural when spoken in that sentence.

A short stroll. A hop, skip, and a jump away.

You might also go with the very concise, though less imaginative "Nearby".

answered Jun 13 '17 at 20:52

Eli

1,257

score -6 · Answer 18 · edited Jun 09 '17 at 03:44

-6

Jaunt might be the word you're looking for?

The hotel is just a jaunt away.

edited Jun 09 '17 at 03:44

1006a

22,820

answered Jun 08 '17 at 14:50

bzerkryr

7

1

Jaunt has a lot of connotations for leisure walking. – arp Jun 08 '17 at 15:05
2

Jaunt is certainly not the right word here. “The hotel is jaunt” doesn’t make any sense. There may be some phrase that contains the word jaunt and means the right thing, but if so, I’m not familiar with it. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jun 08 '17 at 15:13
2

It would be "The hotel is just a jaunt away." – bzerkryr Jun 08 '17 at 15:29

Is there a word or idiom that refers to "short distance", other than "walkable" and "a stone's throw"?

18 Answers18