by the skin of one's teeth

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word by the skin of one's teeth. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word by the skin of one's teeth, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say by the skin of one's teeth in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word by the skin of one's teeth you have here. The definition of the word by the skin of one's teeth will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofby the skin of one's teeth, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

  • From Job 19.20. "My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh. I have escaped by the skin of my teeth."

Pronunciation

Prepositional phrase

by the skin of one's teeth

  1. (idiomatic) Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.
    Synonym: by a hair's breadth
    I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
    • 2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 57:
      I would have liked to have hung around in Birmingham, but my connections are tight owing to a points failure, and I make the CrossCountry Class 170 to Derby by the skin of my teeth.

Translations

See also

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia