baɪ ðə skɪn əv jɔr tiːθ
Body Parts
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- By a margin as thin as the skin on teeth
What does "by the skin of your teeth" mean?
- Just barely succeeding or escaping
- By a very narrow margin
Examples
- I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth.
- We made it to the airport by the skin of our teeth.
- The team won the championship by the skin of their teeth.
Origin
Biblical origin from Job 19:20: 'I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.' Teeth have no skin, making the margin impossibly small. The phrase emphasizes an extremely close escape or narrow success.
How to use it
Common expression for very close calls. Emphasizes how narrow the margin of success was.
Similar expressions
just barely
narrowly
by a hair's breadth
Opposites
by a wide margin
easily
Related idioms
- keep an eye on
To watch or monitor something carefully
- heart of gold
A very kind, generous, and caring nature
- caught red-handed
Caught in the act of doing something wrong
- keep your chin up
To stay positive and not be discouraged
- wrap your head around something
To understand something complex
- all ears
Listening attentively and eagerly
Use it in a practice answer
Try "by the skin of your teeth" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.