By the Skin of Your Teeth

The Definition

To manage to do something by the narrowest possible margin; a "near miss" or a narrow escape from disaster. It implies that the gap between success and failure was so thin as to be practically non-existent.

The Deep Dive

This phrase is a classic example of "junk knowledge" where the literal image—teeth having skin—is so absurd that it has sparked centuries of creative (but false) theories. Some believe it refers to the thin layer of enamel, while others suggest it’s a mis-translation of "scant" or "thin" lips.

In reality, the phrase is a direct, literal translation from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Book of Job (19:20). Job, who has been stripped of his wealth, his family, and his health, is describing his wretched physical state.

  • The Original Text: In the King James Version, Job says: "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."

  • The Metaphorical Gap: Job is describing a state of such extreme emaciation and decay that almost nothing of his former self remains. Because teeth do not actually have skin, the "skin of the teeth" represents the thinnest imaginable substance—something that exists only as a conceptual boundary. To escape with only the "skin of your teeth" is to escape with nothing at all except your life.

The phrase moved from a description of physical suffering to a general idiom for a close call in the mid-19th century. It was popularized in the United States by Thornton Wilder’s 1942 Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Skin of Our Teeth, which used the phrase to describe humanity’s narrow survival through various historical catastrophes.

Fast Facts

  • The Enamel Myth: While teeth have enamel, they lack the "integumentary" (skin) system found on the rest of the body. The Hebrew word used (‘ôr) specifically refers to skin or hide.

  • The "Gums" Theory: Some linguists argue Job was referring to his gums, which are the "skin" surrounding the teeth, but the idiomatic power comes from the impossibility of actual tooth-skin.

  • The "Hair" Equivalent: A similar idiom is "by a hair's breadth," which uses a real, but incredibly thin, physical object to measure the same narrow margin.

References

  • The Bible. (King James Version). Job 19:20.

  • Wilder, T. (1942). The Skin of Our Teeth. Harper & Brothers.

  • Ammer, C. (2013). The Dictionary of Clichés. Skyhorse Publishing.

  • Manser, M. H. (2007). The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs. Facts on File.