By the skin of your teeth
Barely and just in time; only by a very small margin.
Examples
- I made it to the train by the skin of my teeth.
- We almost missed the concert, but we got there by the skin of our teeth.
- You’ll probably finish on time if you start now, but only by the skin of your teeth.
Quote
I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Remix: Chasing everyone’s approval is the fastest way to tank your own life.