close, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

close adj.

[? from gambling phr. play close to one’s vest]

1. (Aus.) well-informed, knowledgeable.

1901

Bulletin (Sydney) 6 July 24/1: ‘Teddy’ Knight’s reported ‘crock,’ ‘cripple’ &c., Prince Carbine [...] scooped the big thing of Rosehill meeting, Saturday. Well backed in ‘shops’ all day Friday and Saturday morning, when long odds were available, a big load was placed on the course, consequently the ‘close’ crowd behind the operations landed a big stake.

2. (US jazz) masterful.

1957

E. Horne For Cool Cats and Far-Out Chicks n.p.: He’s so close, man! – The musician has done just about everything attainable [W&F].

SE in slang uses

In phrases

close as... (adj.)

see separate entry.

close to one’s belly (adj.)

see under belly n.

close to the blanket (adj.)

see under blanket n.

get close to (v.)

(US) to seduce.

1959

A. Anderson ‘Think’ in Lover Man 117: ‘There ain’t a man alive that gets close to one hundred-thousandth of the chicks he’d like to get close to’.

that’s close

(US campus) an ironic comment implying that something is far from the truth or excessive.

1966		Current Sl. I:3 7/2: That’s close, adj. unbelievable.
1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 209: That’s close Extraordinary, unusual, hard to believe.
1969		Current Sl. III:4.
1973		Eble Campus Sl. Nov. 1: That’s close could be used as a reply to a request like, ‘Lend me ten dollars’.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 67: The phrase that’s close is used to discourage an unreasonable request or to refute an outrageous statement and means ‘that’s not close to the real situation’.