If you were more familiar with your Bible, you'd know the original expression was "saved by the hair of your teeth". (No, I know it's not verbatim, but I'm not that familiar either!)

"Whippet-Quick" is a favourite of my mother's, usually in the form "Oi, Whippet-Quick!", which can normally be understodd as "if you don't stop that, you'll get a clip round the ear!". When I finally asked her about it, there was some discussion with Dad, and they eventually decided it was a character from "Ray's a Laugh", which was comic Ted Ray's Sunday afternoon show on the BBC Light Programme. He was an upper-class con-man, or some such.

"Hold this while I call a cop" rings a bell; was it Groucho Marx?

And Sin is only ugly to them that (think they) don't do it!

Steve