{adv. phr.} By a narrow margin; with no room to spare; barely. * /The drowning man struggled, and I got him to land by the skin of my teeth./ * /She passed English by the skin of her teeth./ Compare: SQUEAK THROUGH, WITHIN AN ACE OF or WITHIN AN INCH OF.
BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH
Meaning of BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH in English
Dictionary of English idioms . Словарь английских идиом. 2012