Near miss, perhaps: too close for comfort? (5-8)
I believe the answer is:
penny-pinching
'near' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'miss perhaps too close for comfort?' is the wordplay.
'miss perhaps' becomes 'Penny' (Penny is a woman's name).
'too close for comfort?' becomes 'pinching' (pinching can mean too tight).
'penny'+'pinching'='PENNY-PINCHING'
(Other definitions for penny-pinching that I've seen before include "Cheeseparing" , "Tight" , "Unwillingness to spend money" , "Excessively careful with money" , "Miserly" .)