saved by the bell

adjective

Of a competitor in a boxing or wrestling match or similar competition, spared from being counted out by the referee by the ringing of the bell which concludes the round.

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Meanings

adjectivesaved by the bell (not comparable)
  1. not comparableboxingOf a competitor in a boxing or wrestling match or similar competition, spared from being counted out by the referee by the ringing of the bell which concludes the round.

    Forrest floored Mosley again at the end of the round and almost finished him, but Mosley was saved by the bell.

    2002 July 19, Damon Hack, “Boxing: Despite Not Having the Title, Mosley Garners Attention”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2021, retrieved 06 Jan 2014
  2. broadlyidiomaticnot comparableRescued or favorably assisted by a timely interruption or by the sudden termination of difficult circumstances.

    The Montgomery bus boycott was "saved by the bell" of a federal Supreme Court decision that came just before the last minute.

    1997, John Howard Yoder, For the Nations: Essays Evangelical and Public, →ISBN, page 130
    2 more examples

    So Asad's probing created a problem. . . . In a real sense Kissinger was saved by the bell: the American party had that afternoon to catch a plane to Israel.

    1988, Patrick Seale, Maureen McConville, Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East, →ISBN, page 248

    But in 1998, Mr. DiFrancesco never answered the allegations against him to the satisfaction of town officials. Instead, he was saved by the bell, in a way: In a rare electoral upset, Democrats took control of the Township Council in November 1998. They immediately fired Mr. DiFrancesco and replaced him with a Democrat, giving his termination the appearance of simple partisan politics.

    2001 April 17, David M. Halbfinger, “New Jersey's Acting Governor Was Faulted on Ethics in 1998”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Jan 2021, retrieved 06 Jan 2014

Translations

Catalan salvat per la campana
  • salvat per la campanarescued by a timely interruption
Finnish pelastua täpärästi
  • pelastua täpärästirescued by a timely interruption
French sauvé par la cloche, sauvé par le gong
  • sauvé par la clocherescued by a timely interruption
  • sauvé par le gongrescued by a timely interruption
German vom Gong gerettet
  • vom Gong gerettetrescued by a timely interruption
Italian salvato dalla campanella
  • salvato dalla campanellarescued by a timely interruption
Portuguese salvo pelo gongo
  • salvo pelo gongorescued by a timely interruption
Spanish salvado por la campana
  • salvado por la campanarescued by a timely interruption
Cite this entry
APA

saved by the bell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saved%20by%20the%20bell

MLA

“saved by the bell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saved%20by%20the%20bell. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “saved by the bell,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saved%20by%20the%20bell.

Source: saved by the bell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.