aprobar por los pelos
approved by hairs
The Spanish phrase 'aprobar por los pelos' directly translates as 'approved by hairs' in English. However, it's used metaphorically to indicate a situation where something is barely approved, passed or succeeded, typically by a very slim margin. It's similar to the English idioms 'by the skin of your teeth' or 'just barely.'
Example sentences using: aprobar por los pelos
Juan aprobó por los pelos el examen de matemáticas.
Juan barely passed the math exam.
This phrase illustrates how Juan managed to pass the math exam, but it was a very close call, suggesting that he did not perform very well.
La profesora dijo que Clara aprobó por los pelos su curso de historia.
The teacher said that Clara barely passed her history course.
In this example, it indicates that Clara's performance in history was just enough to pass, highlighting that it was a narrow success.
El estudiante aprobó por los pelos el examen final de química.
The student barely passed the final chemistry exam.
This phrase conveys that the student was fortunate to pass the final exam in chemistry, emphasizing the difficulty he faced in achieving this outcome.