From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishby the skin of your teethby the skin of your teethinformalJUST/A MOMENT AGO if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it, and very nearly failed to do it Two others made it by the skin of their teeth. → skin
Examples from the Corpus
by the skin of your teeth• Jeff just got into college by the skin of his teeth.• The business is surviving, but only by the skin of its teeth.• The car broke down on the way to the airport and they just caught the plane by the skin of their teeth. 