Close

[Perry Lassiter]

The word has many meanings, but I'm interested in what is perhaps the least used. I was reading the letters of CS Lewis last night, and in one from 1957 he told his American correspondent that "close" rhymed with "dose." He must have been referring to something like a cul-de-sac with buildings in a square around a courtyard with only one opening. Because many European churches are surrounded by buildings, some can also be referred to as closes. I have read of locations called something like Buckminster Close. Probably shortened from "enclosure."

[call_copse]

Close in common usage as such over here. It always rhymes with dose in the context you discuss, also when referring to relative distance. It doesn't rhyme when you close a door.