The phrase has ancient origins in verse 20 of chapter 19 of the Book of Job in the Bible. Describing the illness that has made him so sick that he barely has anything left of his body, Job says, My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
How do you use the idiom by the skin of your teeth?
Just barely, very narrowly, as in Doug passed the exam by the skin of his teeth. A related term appears in the Bible (Job 19:20), where Job says, I am escaped with the skin of my teeth, presumably meaning he got away with nothing at all.
Do sth by the skin of your teeth?
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you just manage to do it. He won, but only by the skin of his teeth.
What do you mean by by the skin of one’s teeth?
In modern times, by the skin of my teeth is used to describe a situation from which one has barely managed to escape or achieve something.
What does wet behind the ears mean?
Immature Immature, inexperienced, as in How can you take instructions from Tom? He’s still wet behind the ears, or Jane’s not dry behind the ears yet. This term alludes to the fact that the last place to dry in a newborn colt or calf is the indentation behind its ears. [
Did you bite off more than chew?
If you say that someone has bitten off more than they can chew, you mean that they are trying to do something which is too difficult for them.
What is the meaning of the idiom beating around the bush?
to avoid giving a definite answer or position. Please stop beating around the bush and tell me the full story.
Were drenched to the skin?
To be completely soaked with waterusually rainthrough one’s clothes. Come in out of that rain! Oh, you’re drenched to the skin, you’ll catch cold if you aren’t careful!
Will play it by ear meaning?
This expression, which is mostly used in informal contexts, comes from the world of music. When a musician ‘plays it by ear’, he attempts to play or reproduce a piece of music without looking at the music sheet. He plays the piece from memory, and uses his ears to determine if what he is playing is correct or not.
What does the word Chatterbox mean?
: one who engages in much idle talk.
Is like a red rag to a bull?
Definition of a red rag to a bull used of something that makes a person very angry Just mentioning his poor marks to him was like a red rag to a bull.
Who is Sabina in The Skin of Our Teeth?
The productiondirected by Elia Kazan and starring Tallulah Bankhead (Sabina), Frederic March (Mr. Antrobus), and Florence Eldridge (Mrs. Antrobus)received positive reviews and ran for 355 performances.
What is the theme of the skin of our teeth?
The major theme of The Skin of our Teeth is the circular nature of time and the way in which humankind goes through periods of creation and destruction. It examines how humans have the ability to create great art and technology, but it can all be wiped away by disasters both natural and man-made.
How many plays did Thornton Wilder write?
Wilder authored seven novels, Three Plays, as well as a variety of shorter works including essays, one act plays, and scholarly articles.
What does take someone by storm mean?
Make a vivid impression on, quickly win popular acclaim or renown, as in The new rock group took the town by storm. This usage transfers the original military meaning of the phrase, assault in a violent attack, to more peaceful endeavors. [ Mid-1800s]
What is the meaning of penny for your thoughts?
The simplest meaning for a penny for your thoughts is: What’s on your mind? or Tell me what you are thinking, especially when someone looks pensive, or they haven’t said very much and have been quiet for a while about a specific topic.
What do you mean by a whisker?
1a : a hair of the beard. b whiskers plural. (1) archaic : mustache. (2) : the part of the beard growing on the sides of the face or on the chin. c : hairbreadth lost the race by a whisker.
What is tickled pink?
: very happy or amused I was tickled pink to see her.
Does shake a leg mean?
to hurry From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English shake a legspoken used to tell someone to hurry, or quickly start doing something C’mon, shake a leg!
What does left holding the bag mean?
The expression left holding the bag originated in eighteenth century Britain and spread throughout the English-speaking world. In this context, a person left holding the bag is stuck with the stolen goods, taking the blame from the police while the rest of a criminal gang escapes.
What does jump the gun mean idiom?
Start doing something too soon, act too hastily. For example, The local weather bureau jumped the gun on predicting a storm; it didn’t happen for another two days. This expression alludes to starting a race before the starter’s gun has gone off, and supplants the earlier beat the pistol, which dates from about 1900. [
What is the meaning of Rome wasn’t built in a day?
Rome wasn’t built in a day is an adage attesting to the need for time to create great things. It is the usual English translation of a medieval French phrase, Rome ne fu[t] pas faite toute en un jour, from the collection Li Proverbe au Vilain, published around 1190.
Do not swallow what you Cannot chew?
People can forget to chew their food or get into the habit of swallowing before they’ve fully chewed it. … People who don’t chew their food well enough before they swallow often develop digestive problems, and are also at a greater risk for: choking. aspiration.
What does the idiom When Pigs Fly mean?
US, informal. used to say that one thinks that something will never happen The train station will be renovated when pigs fly.
What does the idiom burn the midnight oil mean?
To stay awake late at night to work or study: Jill has been burning the midnight oil lately; I guess she has a big exam coming up.
What is the meaning of take a rain Cheque?
1 : a ticket stub good for a later performance when the scheduled one is rained out. 2 : an assurance of a deferred extension of an offer especially : a document assuring that a customer can take advantage of a sale later if the item or service offered is not available (as by being sold out)
What does IM soaked mean?
It means you are very wet and drenched.
Was soaked to the skin?
Drenched, extremely wet, as in What a downpour; I’m soaked to the skin, or She fell in the stream and was soaked through. The implication in this idiom implies that water has penetrated one’s clothing, so one is thoroughly wet.
What is the meaning of soaked to the bone?
soak (someone) to the bone To make someone extremely or completely wet, especially through their clothing.
Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with Sun’Agri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. I love to write and share science related Stuff Here on my Website. I am currently continuing at Sun’Agri as an R&D engineer.