Idiom
By the skin of your teeth
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just manage it, with almost no margin to spare.
How people use it
People use it for narrow escapes and close calls: passing a test by one point, catching a train as the doors close. Common verbs are pass, escape, make it, win and survive. The possessive changes with the subject: by the skin of my teeth, her teeth, their teeth. It suggests relief, since things almost went the other way. The humor is that teeth have no skin, so the margin was so thin it barely existed. The tone is informal.
Examples
- I passed the driving test by the skin of my teeth, with just one point to spare.
- We made the connecting flight by the skin of our teeth after running through the airport.
- The team won the final by the skin of their teeth when the other side's last shot missed.
Where it comes from
It comes from the Book of Job in the Bible. In the 1560 Geneva Bible, Job says he has escaped with the skin of his teeth after losing almost everything. Later English Bibles kept the wording, and over time people changed with to by and began using it for any narrow escape.
Check yourself
1. If you pass by the skin of your teeth, how did you pass?
Answer: Just barely. By the skin of your teeth means you only just succeeded.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: She caught the bus by the skin of her teeth as the doors were closing.. Catching the bus at the last second is a narrow success, which fits the idiom.
Similar idioms
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