IdiomBody & Senses
English
EnglishBy the skin of your teeth
Meaning: By the narrowest possible margin.
Example: “We caught the last train by the skin of our teeth.”
Origin: From the Book of Job in the 1560 Geneva Bible; since teeth have no skin, the margin of escape is vanishingly thin.
Other ways to say this
German: um ein Haar Literally: By a hair- English: close shave
French: L'échapper belle Literally: To escape it beautifully
More English idioms
- To rain on someone's parade To spoil someone's plans or happy moment.
- To have a chip on your shoulder To harbor a grudge or a defensive sense of grievance.
- To cost an arm and a leg To be extremely expensive.
- To burn the midnight oil To work late into the night.
- Once in a blue moon Very rarely.
- To break the ice To ease the initial tension in a social situation.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- У тебя золотые руки (u tebya zolotye ruki) You're extraordinarily skilled — able to make or fix anything with your hands.
- T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
- Tête de mule An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
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