the skin of one's teeth引申为勉强、几乎没有成功或幸免于难。它形象地描述了在困难或危险情况下仅以微小的差距或幸运而成功或脱险。

【例句】
She survived the accident by the skin of her teeth. It was a close call.
她在事故中幸免于难。真是太险了。

We made it to the airport by the skin of our teeth. The traffic was terrible.
我们勉强赶到机场，交通状况很糟糕。