be onion-skinned (about something)

To be very sensitive or emotionally susceptible to the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. Most commonly used in Southeast Asian English in which the term is a translation of the Tagalog phrase balat sibuyas. For how much she mocks other people, you wouldn't think she'd be so onion-skinned herself. You can't be onion-skinned about rejection if you want to succeed in the entertainment industry. You made fun of his thinning hair? Oh man, he's very onion-skinned about that.

be thick-skinned

To be immune to or able to ignore the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. You have to be pretty thick-skinned if you want to succeed in the entertainment industry. For how much she mocks other people, you'd think she'd be a bit more thick-skinned than that. My older brothers teased me mercilessly growing up, so I'm pretty thick-skinned these days.

keep (one's) eye(s) open (for someone or something)

To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for something or someone). They should be arriving any minute, so keep your eyes open. Keep your eye open for a birthday gift we could give your mother. Tell everyone to keep their eyes open for the health inspector. We heard she'll be doing a surprise inspection someday soon.

keep (one's) eye(s) peeled (for someone or something)

To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for something or someone). They should be arriving any minute, so keep your eyes peeled. Keep your eye peeled for a birthday gift we could give your mother. Tell everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the health inspector. We heard she'll be doing a surprise inspection someday soon.

keep (one's) eye(s) skinned (for someone or something)

To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for someone or something). They should be arriving any minute, so keep your eyes skinned. Keep your eye skinned for a birthday gift we could give your mother. Tell everyone to keep their eyes skinned for the health inspector. We heard she'll be doing a surprise inspection someday soon.

onion-skinned

Very sensitive or emotionally susceptible to the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. Most commonly used in Southeast Asian English in which the term is a translation of the Tagalog phrase balat sibuyas. You can't remain onion-skinned if you want to succeed in the entertainment industry. For how much she mocks other people, you wouldn't think she'd be so onion-skinned herself.

skin

1. noun, slang One's life; one's survival or self-preservation. Thanks for bringing me some extra cash—you really saved my skin, there!

2. noun, slang A cigarette paper. Do you have any spare skins? I forgot to pick up some at the gas station.

3. noun, slang Nude flesh, especially the breasts or thighs. Come on, toots, lift up your skirt and show us some skin!

4. noun, informal In video games, an alternate appearance for a character within the game. The game is free, so the developers make their money by selling various skins for a few dollars a pop.

5. adjective, slang Of, depicting, or related to nudity or pornography. They sell skin magazine that are kept on a rack hidden behind black paper. The movie theater used to show skin flicks and exploitation films back in the '70s.

6. verb, dated slang To cheat or swindle (someone). The con man skinned them for nearly $10,000.

skin (one) alive

To upbraid, scold, or punish one severely and with intense anger. My parents will skin us alive if they find out we took the car without telling them. If I find out who messed up the Jefferson account, I'll skin him alive!

skin a goat

obsolete slang To vomit. Primarily heard in US. The sight of the dead body caused several rookies on the squad to skin the goat right then and there.

skin an eel by the tail

To do something in an ill-advised way. Why are you skinning an eel by the tail? You know you can't back out of the driveway until you clear all that snow out of the way!

skin back

To pull back away the skin or similar material that covers something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "skin" and "back." Make an incision along the animal's spine, then use your knife to skin back the hide. We'll need to skin the rubber insulation back in order to access the wires inside the cable.

skin the bear at once

To address an issue directly. Primarily heard in US. A: "Jen means well, but she can be a little blunt." B: "Yeah, she tends to skin the bear at once." This is a big problem to tackle, so let's skin the bear at once, gentlemen—there's no time to waste.

skin up

1. To scrape off the outer layer of skin (from something). A noun or pronoun can be used between "skin" and "up." I skinned up the palms of my hands when I fell off my bike. He skinned his elbow up when it scraped against the brick wall.

2. To hand roll a cigarette, especially one filled with cannabis. Hey man, you want to come by and skin up a little later? He always goes to his car on his lunch breaks to skin up.

thick-skinned

Immune to or able to ignore the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. You have to become pretty thick-skinned if you want to succeed in the entertainment industry. For how much she mocks other people, you'd think she'd be a bit more thick-skinned than that.

thin-skinned

Emotionally susceptible to or unable to ignore the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. You can't be thin-skinned if you want to be in the entertainment industry. For how much she mocks other people, you wouldn't think she'd be so thin-skinned.

*thick-skinned

Fig. not easily upset or hurt; insensitive. (The opposite of thin-skinned. Typically: be ~; become ~; grow ~.) Tom won't worry about your insults. He's completely thick-skinned. Jane's so thick-skinned she didn't realize Fred was being rude to her.

*thin-skinned

Fig. easily upset or hurt; sensitive. (The opposite of thick-skinned. Typically: be ~; become ~; grow ~.) You'll have to handle Mary's mother carefully. She's very thin-skinned. Jane weeps easily when people tease her. She's too thin-skinned.

keep one's eyes open

Also, keep one's eyes peeled or skinned . Be watchful and observant. For example, We should keep our eyes open for a change in the wind's direction, or Keep your eyes peeled for the teacher. The first phrase dates from the late 1800s; the second and third, both colloquial and alluding to the lids not covering the eyes, date from the mid-1800s and 1830s, respectively.

keep your ˈeyes open/peeled/skinned (for somebody/something)

watch carefully (for somebody/something): Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see anything suspicious, call the police immediately.

See also: eye, keep, open, peel, skinned

skin up

1. To bruise, cut, or injure the skin or surface of something: He fell off his skateboard and skinned up his knee. She slipped on the sidewalk and skinned her arm up.

2. To roll a cigarette: I pulled out a pouch of tobacco and skinned up.

skin

1. n. a dollar bill. This ticket cost me a couple of skins—and it’s not worth it. You got a skin for the tollbooth?

2. and skinhead n. someone with a shaved or bald head. (Some such persons may also engage in political violence.) Who’s the skinhead with the earrings?

3. tv. to cheat or overcharge someone. The guy who sold me this car really skinned me.

skin a goat

tv. to empty one’s stomach; to vomit. (From the bleating sound of the wretching.) Was my cooking so bad that everybody had to skin a goat?

thick-skinned

mod. able to withstand much criticism. (Compare this with thin-skinned.) You gotta be more thick-skinned if you want to be a cop.

thin-skinned

mod. sensitive to criticism. (Compare this with thick-skinned.) Don’t be so thin-skinned. You can’t expect everyone to like you.

keep your eyes peeled/skinned

Be particularly watchful; remain alert. This American expression dates from the mid-nineteenth century and presumably likens peeled or skinned to being wide open. An early reference in print occurs in J. S. Robb’s Squatter Life (1847): “Keep your eye skinned for Injuns.”