A stone’s throw is an idiom that has been in use since the 1500s, though its popularity grew in the 1700s. An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal meaning. We will examine the definition of the phrase a stone’s throw, where the term came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
A stone’s throw is a short distance. The phrase a stone’s throw is taken from the idea that a stone may only be thrown a short distance. The distance discussed in the idiom a stone’s throw is not a definite measurement. The term a stone’s throw was first used in the Wycliffe’s Bible, published in 1526, in the book of Luke, chapter twenty-two verse forty-one: “…in nd he gat himself from them, about a stone’s cast…” Note that the word stone’s is rendered with an apostrophe, as it is a possessive noun.
Examples
Chad Kearns said he chose the name A Stone’s Throw Winery because their San Juan winery is now “just a stone’s throw from Giracci,” his first wine label. (The Capistrano Dispatch)
And in Germany, I am a unquestionably a migrant – even if my home country, Luxemburg, is just a stone’s throw away from Bonn. (Deutsche Welle)
Even if you’re not a history buff, it’s hard to walk to the NYSSCPA’s Wall Street offices and not be wowed by a sense of place—a stone’s throw away from the New York Stock Exchange is Federal Hall, which stands on the spot where George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. (The CPA Journal)
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