skin

[ skin ]

/ skɪn /

noun

the external covering or integument of an animal body, especially when soft and flexible.

such an integument stripped from the body of an animal, especially a small animal; pelt: a beaver skin.

the tanned or treated pelt or hide of an animal, especially when used in apparel and accessories; leather (usually used in combination): pigskin; calfskin.

any integumentary covering, casing, outer coating, or surface layer, as an investing membrane, the rind or peel of fruit, or a film on liquid: a skin of thin ice; the aluminum skin of an airplane.

Jewelry.

the outermost layer of a pearl.
the outermost layer of a diamond as found: often different in color and refraction from the inner part of the stone.

Nautical.

the shell or ceiling of a hull.
the outer, exposed part of a furled sail.

Metallurgy. an outer layer of a metal piece having characteristics differing from those of the interior.

a container made of animal skin, used for holding liquids, especially wine.

Slang. condom.

skins, Slang. drums.

Slang. a swindler; cheat.

Slang. a skinflint.

Slang. a horse.

Slang. a dollar bill.

Rocketry. the outer surface of a missile or rocket.

verb (used with object), skinned, skin·ning.

to strip or deprive of skin; flay; peel; husk.

to remove or strip off (any covering, outer coating, surface layer, etc.).

to scrape or rub a small piece of skin from (one's hand, leg, etc.), as in falling or sliding against something: She skinned her knee.

to urge on, drive, or whip (a draft animal, as a mule or ox).

to climb or jump: He skinned the rope to the top of the wall.

to cover with or as if with skin.

Slang. to strip of money or belongings; fleece, as in gambling.

Cards. to slide cards one at a time off the top of (the pack) in dealing.

Slang. to defeat completely: skinned at the polls.

Slang. to castigate; reprimand: skinned for his disobedience.

verb (used without object), skinned, skin·ning.

Slang. to slip off or depart hurriedly (often followed by out).

adjective

Slang. showing or featuring nude persons, often in a sexually explicit way: a skin magazine.
presenting films, stage shows, exhibitions, etc., that feature nude persons, especially in a sexually explicit way: a Times Square skin house.

Idioms for skin

by the skin of one's teeth, Informal. by an extremely narrow margin; just barely; scarcely: We made the last train by the skin of our teeth.

get under one's skin, Slang.

to irritate; bother: His laugh really gets under my skin.
to affect deeply; impress; penetrate: That sort of music always gets under my skin.

have a thick skin, to be insensitive to criticism or rebuffs: The complaint desk is a job for someone who has a thick skin.

have a thin skin, to be extremely sensitive to criticism or rebuffs; be easily offended: Be careful what you say to me, I have a thin skin.

in/with a whole skin, without harm; unscathed; safely: She escaped from the burning building with a whole skin.

no skin off one's back/nose/teeth, Slang. of no interest or concern or involving no risk to one.

save one's skin, Informal. to avoid harm, especially to escape death: They betrayed their country to save their skins.

skin alive, Informal.

to reprimand; scold.
to subdue completely, especially in a cruel or ruthless manner: The home team was skinned alive this afternoon.

under the skin, in essence; fundamentally; despite appearances or differences: sisters under the skin.

Origin of skin

1150–1200; Middle English (noun) < Old Norse skinn; cognate with dialectal German Schinde skin of fruit

SYNONYMS FOR skin

2 fur. Skin, hide, pelt are names for the outer covering of animals, including humans. Skin is the general word: an abrasion of the skin; the skin of a muskrat. Hide applies to the skin of large animals, as cattle, horses, or elephants: a buffalo hide. Pelt applies to the untanned skin of smaller animals: a mink pelt.

4 hull, shell, husk, crust.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR skin ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM skin

skin·like, adjective un·der·skin, noun un·skinned, adjective

Words nearby skin

skimming, skimmings, skimobile, skimp, skimpy, skin, skin alive, skin and bones, skin care, skin deep, skin dose

Definition for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

tooth

[ tooth ]

/ tuθ /

noun, plural teeth.

(in most vertebrates) one of the hard bodies or processes usually attached in a row to each jaw, serving for the prehension and mastication of food, as weapons of attack or defense, etc., and in mammals typically composed chiefly of dentin surrounding a sensitive pulp and covered on the crown with enamel.

(in invertebrates) any of various similar or analogous processes occurring in the mouth or alimentary canal, or on a shell.

any projection resembling or suggesting a tooth.

one of the projections of a comb, rake, saw, etc.

Machinery.

any of the uniform projections on a gear or rack by which it drives, or is driven by, a gear, rack, or worm.
any of the uniform projections on a sprocket by which it drives or is driven by a chain.

Botany.

any small, toothlike marginal lobe.
one of the toothlike divisions of the peristome of mosses.

a sharp, distressing, or destructive attribute or agency.

taste, relish, or liking.

a surface, as on a grinding wheel or sharpening stone, slightly roughened so as to increase friction with another part.

a rough surface created on a paper made for charcoal drawing, watercolor, or the like, or on canvas for oil painting.

verb (used with object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to furnish with teeth.

to cut teeth upon.

verb (used without object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to interlock, as cogwheels.

Origin of tooth

before 900; Middle English; Old English tōth; cognate with Dutch tand, German Zahn, Old Norse tǫnn; akin to Gothic tunthus, Latin dēns, Greek odoús (Ionic odṓn), Sanskrit dánta

SYNONYMS FOR tooth

8 fondness, partiality, predilection.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tooth ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM tooth

tooth·like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

skin

/ (skɪn) /

noun

the tissue forming the outer covering of the vertebrate body: it consists of two layers (the dermis and epidermis), the outermost of which may be covered with hair, scales, feathers, etc. It is mainly protective and sensory in function
(as modifier)a skin disease See also dermis, epidermis Related adjectives: cutaneous, dermatoid

a person's complexion a fair skin

any similar covering in a plant or lower animal

any coating or film, such as one that forms on the surface of a liquid

unsplit leather made from the outer covering of various mammals, reptiles, etc Compare hide 2 (def. 1)

the outer covering of a fur-bearing animal, dressed and finished with the hair on

a container made from animal skin

the outer covering surface of a vessel, rocket, etc

a person's skin regarded as his life to save one's skin

(often plural) informal (in jazz or pop use) a drum

informal short for skinhead

slang a cigarette paper used for rolling a cannabis cigarette

Irish slang a person; sort he's a good old skin

by the skin of one's teeth by a narrow margin; only just

get under one's skin informal to irritate one

jump out of one's skin to be very startled

no skin off one's nose informal not a matter that affects one adversely

skin and bone extremely thin

thick skin an insensitive nature

thin skin a sensitive nature

verb skins, skinning or skinned

(tr) to remove the outer covering from (fruit, etc)

(tr) to scrape a small piece of skin from (a part of oneself) in falling, etc he skinned his knee

(often foll by over) to cover (something) with skin or a skinlike substance or (of something) to become covered in this way

(tr) slang to strip of money; swindle

adjective

relating to or for the skin skin cream

slang, mainly US involving or depicting nudity skin magazines

Derived forms of skin

skinless, adjective skinlike, adjective

Word Origin for skin

Old English scinn, from Old Norse skinn

British Dictionary definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

tooth

/ (tuːθ) /

noun plural teeth (tiːθ)

any of various bonelike structures set in the jaws of most vertebrates and modified, according to the species, for biting, tearing, or chewing Related adjective: dental

any of various similar structures in invertebrates, occurring in the mouth or alimentary canal

anything resembling a tooth in shape, prominence, or function the tooth of a comb

any of the various small indentations occurring on the margin of a leaf, petal, etc

any one of a number of uniform projections on a gear, sprocket, rack, etc, by which drive is transmitted

taste or appetite (esp in the phrase sweet tooth)

long in the tooth old or ageing: used originally of horses, because their gums recede with age

tooth and nail with ferocity and force we fought tooth and nail

verb (tuːð, tuːθ)

(tr) to provide with a tooth or teeth

(intr) (of two gearwheels) to engage

Derived forms of tooth

toothless, adjective toothlike, adjective

Word Origin for tooth

Old English tōth; related to Old Saxon tand, Old High German zand, Old Norse tonn, Gothic tunthus, Latin dens

Medical definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

skin

[ skĭn ]

n.

The membranous tissue forming an external protective covering or integument of an animal and consisting of the epidermis and dermis.

v.

To bruise, cut, or injure the skin of.

Other words from skin

skin′less adj.

Medical definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

tooth

[ tōōth ]

n. pl. teeth (tēth)

One of a set of hard, bonelike structures rooted in sockets in the jaws of vertebrates, typically composed of a core of soft pulp surrounded by a layer of hard dentin that is coated with cement or enamel at the crown and used chiefly for biting or chewing food or as a means of attack or defense.

Scientific definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

skin

[ skĭn ]

The outer covering of a vertebrate animal, consisting of two layers of cells, a thick inner layer (the dermis) and a thin outer layer (the epidermis). Structures such as hair, scales, or feathers are contained in the skin, as are fat cells, sweat glands, and sensory receptors. Skin provides a protective barrier against disease-causing microorganisms and against the sun's ultraviolet rays. In warm-blooded animals, it aids in temperature regulation, as by insulating against the cold.

Scientific definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

tooth

[ tōōth ]

Plural teeth (tēth)

Any of the hard bony structures in the mouth used to grasp and chew food and as weapons of attack and defense. In mammals and many other vertebrates, the teeth are set in sockets in the jaw. In fish and amphibians, they grow in and around the palate. See also dentition.

A similar structure in certain invertebrate animals.

Cultural definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

skin

The external tissue that covers the body. As the body's largest organ (it makes up about one twenty-fifth of an adult's weight), the skin serves as a waterproof covering that helps keep out pathogens and protects against temperature extremes and sunlight. The skin also contains special nerve endings that respond to touch, pressure, heat, and cold. The skin has an outer layer, or epidermis, and a layer immediately below, called the dermis.

Cultural definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

tooth

A hard structure, embedded in the jaws of the mouth, that functions in chewing. The tooth consists of a crown, covered with hard white enamel; a root, which anchors the tooth to the jawbone; and a “neck” between the crown and the root, covered by the gum. Most of the tooth is made up of dentin, which is located directly below the enamel. The soft interior of the tooth, the pulp, contains nerves and blood vessels. Humans have molars for grinding food, incisors for cutting, and canines and bicuspids for tearing.

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 3)

by the skin of one's teeth

Just barely, very narrowly, as in Doug passed the exam by the skin of his teeth. A related term appears in the Bible (Job 19:20), where Job says, “I am escaped with the skin of my teeth,” presumably meaning he got away with nothing at all. Today the phrase using by is used most often to describe a narrow escape. [c. 1600] Also see squeak through.

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 3)

skin

In addition to the idioms beginning with skin

skin alive
skin and bones
skin deep
skin off one's nose
skin of one's teeth

also see:

beauty is only skin deep
by the skin of one's teeth
get under someone's skin
jump out of one's skin
make one's flesh creep (skin crawl)
more than one way to skin a cat
no skin off one's nose
save one's bacon (skin)
soaked to the skin
thick skin

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (3 of 3)

tooth

In addition to the idiom beginning with tooth

tooth fairy

also see:

fight tooth and nail
fine-tooth comb
long in the tooth
sweet tooth

Also see underteeth.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

skin

noun

verb (used with object), skinned, skin·ning.

verb (used without object), skinned, skin·ning.

adjective

Idioms for skin

Origin of skin

SYNONYMS FOR skin

OTHER WORDS FROM skin

Words nearby skin

Definition for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

noun, plural teeth.

verb (used with object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

verb (used without object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

Origin of tooth

SYNONYMS FOR tooth

OTHER WORDS FROM tooth

Words related to by the skin of one's teeth

British Dictionary definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

noun

verb skins, skinning or skinned

adjective

Derived forms of skin

Word Origin for skin

British Dictionary definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

noun plural teeth (tiːθ)

verb (tuːð, tuːθ)

Derived forms of tooth

Word Origin for tooth

Medical definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

n.

v.

Other words from skin

Medical definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

n. pl. teeth (tēth)

Scientific definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

Plural teeth (tēth)

Cultural definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 2)

Cultural definitions for by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (1 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (2 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with by the skin of one's teeth (3 of 3)