BBC地道英语:The skin of your teeth 险些错过

Li: Hi, I'm 杨莉, and welcome to Authentic Real English. I'm 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. There's 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: There's 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.

Is there skin on our teeth?

Jennifer: That's exactly right. Let's hear some more examples of the phrase in action:

Li: So when you just manage to do something, you can say you did it by the skin of your teeth?

Jennifer: That's it.

Li: 这是个想象力很丰富的短语。 I like it.

Jennifer: It's 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: It's 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, it's ten to twelve now, I'll never make it!

Jennifer: You go, I'll 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!