b) close together
Well done ! That’s the right answer.
’neck and neck’ means extremely close together ; at or near an equal level. It is said of people that are so close that the advantage or lead shifts from one to the other or is virtually indistinguishable.
The term comes from horse racing, where the necks of two horses in competition appear to be side by side. This phrase, together with win by a neck, originally developed with reference to horse racing. A ‘neck’ is the length of the head and neck of a horse as a measure of its lead in a race.
French translation
coude à coude
How NOT to translate : *cou et cou
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Examples in the press
‘Parties to go neck-and-neck in Bobbili
Visakhapatnam : As Bobbili municipality in Vizianagaram readies to go to polls, improvement of basic civic infrastructure on its outskirts, laying of roads, drainage system in all colonies and improved water supply to wards are the common agenga for the ruling of YSRC and opposition TDP.’
The Times of India, 6 March 2021
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Everyday usage
The two athletes have been neck and neck for this entire race.
The election is neck and neck. We’re going to have to wait until the very last votes are tallied.
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