expressions - Which saying is correct?


I've been having a small argument with a family member. She insists "It's no skin off my teeth" is the correct saying, though I've only heard "It's no skin off my nose" before.


Which saying is more "correct" than the other? By this, I mean which came first, which is more commonly used, and which is more acceptable to use.



Answer



Writing in Google I got these results:



  • "It's no skin off my teeth" -> About 36,300 results

  • "It's no skin off my nose" -> About 449,000 results


But on the dictionary I found both and they seem to have different meanings, even if the first one uses by the skin of and not no skin off:



by the skin of one's teeth by a very narrow margin; barely : I only got away by the skin of my teeth. [ORIGIN: from a misquotation of Job 19:20: “I am escaped with the skin of my teeth” (i.e., and nothing else). Current use reflects a different sense.]


it's no skin off my nose (or off my back) informal (usually spoken with emphasis on “my”) used to indicate that one is not offended or adversely affected by something: it's no skin off my nose if you don't want dessert.



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