skin alive

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 someone alive

Fig. to be very angry with someone; to scold someone severely. (Fig. on being angry enough to do this kind of bodily harm to someone.) I was so mad at Jane that I could have skinned her alive. If I don't get home on time, my parents will skin me alive.

skin alive

Punish severely, as in If I find the guy who slashed my tire I'll skin him alive. This hyperbolic expression transfers the barbaric practice of flaying a live prisoner to other forms of punishment. [Colloquial mid-1800s]

See also: alive, skin

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

See also:

References in periodicals archive ?

Chiranjiv Chhabra, Director and Consultant dermatologist at Skin Alive clinics, doles out tips to make your skin summer ready.

How to make your skin summer ready

Available with another clinic named Skin Alive in the city, " Ultherapy is a great alternative for those who are not ready for surgery or for patients looking to extend the effects of cosmetic surgery.

Ultherapy facelift technique in India

THEIR skin alive with flies, these children are among the lucky ones...

AFTER THE FLOOD.. A PLAGUE OF FLIES; Misery for monsoon orphans

The redwood stairs, dirt ingested, old and cracked by the wind From the indecent ocean, Cypress clinging to the bluffs, surviving-just, moist air, pungent, Of salt, my skin alive.

Readers' Poema: Dawn's solitude

Some shades seemed to bring my skin alive, others made me look distinctly dreary.

Show your true colours; EVER fancied someone doing a 'Trinny and Susannah' on your wardrobe? A colour consultation can reveal all sorts about your clothes and, as reporter KAREN HAMBRIDGE discovered, can show you've been wearing all the wrong things for years..

In these politically correct days, it is fashionable for those who are offended to express their indignation in the name of offended people everywhere, skin alive those who utter contrary opinions, force them to apologize, and then have them banished to the Tower of Babel.

Censorship is no laughing matter: restricting student speech is sending the wrong message. (Developing Minds)

" From bigger pouts to defined eyebrows, one can actually aim at a ' new appearance'," states renowned cosmetologist Dr Chiranjiv Chhabra of Skin Alive clinic, New Delhi.

BALMS TO BOTOX

"We were able to take bone and skin from his leg, as well as blood vessels that keep that skin alive and we basically reconstructed his face with that," Cannon said.

US man's face reconstructed using part of leg

" A better profile picture goes a long way in projecting a good image because online presence is for multiple purposes -- from dating and marriage proposals to professional networking," said Dr Chiranjiv Chhabra, dermatologist, Skin Alive Clinic.

Youths catch FB facelift fever

You don't have to shampoo your hair every time but do rinse it with tepid water Rinsing hair with lemon juice or vinegar after a swim is an at- home care remedy that works well -- Dr Chiranjiv Chabbra, dermatologist, Skin Alive, New Delhi

How to beat the summer

Chiranjeev Chhabra, a dermatologist at the Skin Alive Clinic, Panchsheel Park, says that the number of men (and collegegoing teenagers as well) coming to her for skin treatments has doubled in the past month.