By the skin of your teeth.
By the skin of your teeth.
'By the skin of your teeth' means to barely succeed at something by a very narrow margin. This vivid expression comes from the Bible, where Job survives his ordeals 'with the skin of his teeth,' referring metaphorically to escaping a situation with no margin for error. It's often used when someone just manages to achieve something, emphasizing the closeness of their brush with failure.
He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.
He barely managed to pass the exam.
We made it to the train just by the skin of our teeth.
We just barely made it to the train in time.
She avoided the accident by the skin of her teeth.
She narrowly avoided the accident.