The skin of your teeth
险些错过
Li: Hi, Im 杨莉, and welcome to Authentic Real English. Im here today with Jen.
Jennifer: Hi!
Li: 你怎么这么慌慌张张的? Are you ok?
Jennifer: I woke up late and had to run to the train station. Theres only one train an hour. I ran all the way there and made it by the skin of my teeth, just as the doors were closing. Phew! Is there any coffee?
Li: Hang on 你说你的牙帮你赶上了火车?
Jennifer: Sorry?
Li: You said I made it by the skin of my teeth 你牙齿的皮肤帮了忙. 那我能能看看你的牙是什么样的! Show me your teeth! When did they grow skin?
Jennifer: Theres no skin on my teeth. That would be disgusting. Yuck.
Li: So what did you mean?
Jennifer: If you do something by the skin of your teeth it means that you did it by a narrow margin so you just managed to do it, or almost failed.
Li: 原来这是一个固定的短语意思是险些错过了什么，几乎失败 。这么说，如果你差点儿误了火车那就可以说, You caught the train by the skin of your teeth.
Jennifer: Thats exactly right. Lets hear some more examples of the phrase in action:
My brothers so lucky he never does any revision for exams but always manages to pass by the skin of his teeth!
Hi, Im stuck in a traffic jam I might still make it to the presentation, but itll be by the skin of my teeth.
Li: So when you just manage to do something, you can say you did it by the skin of your teeth?
Jennifer: Thats it.
Li: 这是个想象力很丰富的短语。 I like it.
Jennifer: Its good to be able to get your teeth into English phrases like this.
Li: 你说我的牙齿吗? What about my teeth?
Jennifer: Its just another phrase, silly. If you get your teeth into something, it means that you become really involved in it.
Li: Well in that case, I do love getting my teeth into a new phrase 好好啃一啃意思就是钻研新短语。等等我想起来，糟了。Oh no! 我刚想起来我今天十二点有牙科预约 but look, its ten to twelve now, Ill never make it!
Jennifer: You go, Ill finish the programme if you run you might make it, but by the skin of your teeth!
Li: Thanks Jen bye
Jennifer: Join us again for another edition of Authentic Real English and visit our website, bbcukchina.com. Bye!
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