by the skin of your teeth
/baɪ ðə ˌskɪn əv jə ˈtiːθ/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
only just, by a very small margin
Examples
- 1We caught the last train home by the skin of our teeth.
- 2Ben passed his maths exam by the skin of his teeth.
- 3Our team won the quiz by the skin of our teeth, with a single point to spare.
- 4I got through the interview by the skin of my teeth after forgetting half my answers.
- 5Maya made the deadline by the skin of her teeth, sending the essay one minute before it closed.
Grammar
Follows verbs of passing, winning or escaping. your changes to match the subject: my, her, their; teeth stays plural.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about the body
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →bury your head in the sandto refuse to think about an unpleasant problemkeep your head above waterto only just manage in a difficult situationgive someone the cold shoulderto ignore someone on purpose and be unfriendlylet your hair downto relax and enjoy yourself much more freely than usualelbow greasehard physical effort, especially when cleaningkeep an eye onto watch or look after someone or something
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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