To save one's skin的意思从表面看来是“救了某人的皮”，但实际的意思是“安全地逃出了危险的境地，没有受到伤害。”下面我们要举的例子是说一个人的儿子发生了车祸，这位爸爸说：

        My son was in a bad auto accident last week. The other car went through a red light and smashed into him. It wrecked his car, but he was wearing his seat belt and that saved his skin -- he walked away without a scratch.

        我的儿子上星期在开车时发生了严重的车祸。肇事车穿红灯，然后撞上了我儿子的车，把他的车给撞坏了，但是因为他系着安全带，所以一点都没有受伤。

        下面我们要举的一个例子虽然没有生命危险，但是对于一个学生来说也是很重要的事。我们看看这位学生是怎么说的：

         I was in real trouble last night: I had to type up a term paper to turn in to my English teacher this morning and my typewriter broke down. But the girl next door loaned me her typewriter; she really saved my skin.

         昨晚我可真是碰到了大问题。今天早上我必须把一篇论文交给英语老师，昨晚得用打字机打完的。结果我的打字机坏了。幸好我隔壁的那个女孩把她的打字机借了给我，这可真是救了我的命。

        当然，这里所谓的“救了我的命”只是为了加强语气而已，实际上也就是“帮了我一个大忙，解救了一个危机。”