By the Skin of Your Teeth: Meaning and Definitions
- “By the skin of your teeth” is an idiom that means to barely manage to do something or narrowly succeed in something.
- It often implies a very narrow escape from a disaster or a narrowly won contest.
- This phrase suggests that someone has only just avoided failure, danger, or disaster.
- It can also be used to indicate that something has been achieved but only just, after a lot of difficulty.
- Furthermore, it conveys the idea of surviving or succeeding by the smallest margin.
By the Skin of Your Teeth Synonyms
- Just barely
- By a whisker
- By a hair’s breadth
Example Sentences
- He managed to pass the exam by the skin of his teeth.
- They won the game by the skin of their teeth, with a last-minute goal.
- He escaped the accident by the skin of his teeth.
- She got the job by the skin of her teeth, beating out a large number of applicants.
- I made the train by the skin of my teeth—a minute later and I would have missed it.
The Origins and Etymology of By the Skin of Your Teeth
The phrase “by the skin of your teeth” is from the Bible (Job 19:20), and its meaning is derived from the idea that teeth have no skin — thus conveying a sense of having just barely succeeded.
The phrase is one of the many contributions of the King James Bible to the English language.
You can read more about it on Wiktionary.
“By the Skin of Your Teeth” in Literature
The phrase “by the skin of your teeth” has been used in literature throughout the years, one notable example being Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play titled ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’, which explores the theme of the human ability to narrowly escape disaster.
