THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
By the skin of your teeth
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
To narrowly succeed or barely manage to do something.
Usage note: keep in mind
By the skin of your teeth means only just succeeding or escaping failure. Change your to my, her or another possessive to match the person. It emphasises a narrow margin, not a comfortable success. The spelling teeth stays plural.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- He caught the train by the skin of his teeth, just before the doors closed.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
0 of 1 checked correctly
Can you recall the expression?
Which expression from this lesson matches this meaning?
To narrowly succeed or barely manage to do something.
Show the answer
By the skin of your teeth — To narrowly succeed or barely manage to do something.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “By the skin of your teeth” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
To narrowly succeed or barely manage to do something.
Compare: He caught the train by the skin of his teeth, just before the doors closed.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.
This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.
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More ways to understand and use it
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More examples in context
- I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
- The team caught the last train by the skin of their teeth.
Check your understanding
A pass mark is 50 and a learner scores 51. Does the idiom fit better than if the learner scored 95?
Check your answer
Yes. A score just above the pass mark illustrates a narrow success, while 95 suggests passing comfortably.
Use it in your own words
Write one new situation where by the skin of your teeth fits. Explain the situation in plain English first, then rewrite it using the expression. Check that the tone and meaning suit your audience.