Let me tell you about an interesting phrase that grown-ups sometimes use: "by the skin of your teeth". Are you ready?

Do you remember playing games where someone might say, "You just managed to get it right! By a tiny bit!" or "You escaped by just a hair's breadth!"

Well, the phrase "by the skin of your teeth" is kind of like that. It means to barely manage something, almost not getting it done at all! It's like you were on a tightrope and didn't fall off, but just made it across.

Now, where does this phrase come from? That's the exciting bit!

It comes from a very old book called the Bible. In the story of Job, which is an ancient book written about 2,000 years ago, there's a verse that says: "So a horse's hair was the difference between them." This means that two people were so close to being in trouble, they almost didn't escape.

But then someone changed it slightly to make it sound more... well, fun! They said instead of a horse's hair, it was by the skin of your teeth. And from there, the phrase has been used ever since to mean you've just managed something tricky, but made it through by a tiny margin!

So, that's what "by the skin of your teeth" means! Do you remember it now?