saved by the bell

saved by the bell

Meaning

• to be saved from losing because there is a signal of the event coming to an end
• to be spared from a troublesome event because of something that happened extraneous
• to be rescued at the last moment before harm comes

Example Sentences

1. The accused was saved by the bell otherwise the judge would have pronounced the sentence today itself.
2. I was saved by the bell otherwise my father was about to uncover what I had done and there is no way that I could have even explained the situation to him.
3. The police officer believed that the man had stolen but he did not have probable cause to search him and hence the culprit was saved by the bell.

Origin

The origination of the phrase comes from the world of boxing where the rounds are of a short duration and often boxers are saved because of the signalling of the bell to say that the round is over. The opposite party cannot throw another blow when the bell has rung and hence the other side is merely saved by something that happened outside rather than his own efforts. The phrase is speculated to have originated in the 1950's.