Talk about teetering on the edge of disaster! Ever experienced a win that you barely pulled off? Well, high-five, because you did it “by the skin of your teeth!” This idiom, originally from the Book of Job (19:20) in the Bible, captures situations of narrow escapes and flying by the seat of your pants.
What a Close Shave! 🚀🪒
“By the skin of one’s teeth” essentially means “just barely” – like a hare’s breath away from catastrophe! Thornton Wilder took the phrase and ran with it, naming his Pulitzer Prize-winning play “The Skin of Our Teeth”. He used it to show just how humanity clings to survival despite the odds.
Related and Similar Expressions
- By a hair’s breadth — Barely, just narrowly avoided danger.
- A close call — Avoided disaster, but it was a close one.
- On the edge — Just narrowly balancing, almost failing but not quite there.
- By the seat of one’s pants — Acting using one’s instinct, often without preparation or experience, akin to narrowly managing.
Proverbial Companions
- “A miss is as good as a mile.” — Close doesn’t count; you either make it or you don’t.
- “Fortune favors the brave.” — Sometimes it takes guts (and a hint of luck) to squeeze through narrow situations.
Humorous Quotes
- “That was a close shave,” said the barber with trembling hands.
Suggested Literature, Movies, Songs, and Poetry
- Literature: The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder – An allegory of human resilience.
- Movie: Indiana Jones series – Often narrowly escaping danger.
- Song: I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor – A musical anthem for barely making it through.
- Poetry: “If” by Rudyard Kipling – A celebration of keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs.
### Which of these means narrowly avoiding disaster?
- [x] By the skin of one’s teeth
- [ ] Riding the rainbow
- [ ] Painting the roses red
- [ ] Nibbling the corn
> **Explanation:** "By the skin of one’s teeth" means narrowly avoiding danger or failure, just like when you sneak past last-minute deadlines.
### Which phrase also means just barely?
- [ ] Eating cake by the pound
- [ ] Floating on caramel clouds
- [x] By a hair's breadth
- [ ] Dancing with dragons
> **Explanation:** "By a hair's breadth" is a figurative way to say narrowly escaping a situation, just a sliver under "by the skin of one's teeth."
### True or False: "By the skin of one's teeth" is a Biblical idiom.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** True, the idiom hails from the Book of Job in the Bible. It’s been giving close-call stories some divine flair for centuries.
Eva G. Escapist
“Embrace those close shaves with a laugh, because surviving makes for the best stories!”
