to skin someone alive

Examples

• All

• He will skin you alive.

  Heirloom (2019)

• I will skin you alive when you get out!

  Fiction book (1993)

• We're going to skin you alive!

  Fury (2014)

• Sometimes they skin you alive.

  The Great Debaters (2007)

• "But he'll skin me alive!"

  Fiction book (1991)

• I'm going to skin you all alive anyway.

  Almost Heroes (1998)

• The chief's gonna skin us alive.

  Below (2002)

• He'll skin you alive for laying your hands on me.

  Machete Kills (2013)

• Man, they're going to skin me alive!

  Fiction book (1995)

• I'll skin you alive!

  Pirates (1986)

Synonyms

T

to torture

vsto skin someone alive

• Offensive

582 5.7

To cause someone to feel severe physical or emotional pain, often on purpose

is only figurative and nonliteral, focusing on very harsh verbal reproach

G

to give someone hell

vsto skin someone alive

• Informal

37 8.1

To scold someone very strongly for something they did

is more metaphorical and extreme sounding, not only angry speech

C

to crucify

vsto skin someone alive

• NSFW

32 8.0

To criticize someone or something very harshly, often in public

uses informal violent imagery to describe harsh verbal reprimand rather than actual cruelty

S

to scorch

vsto skin someone alive

15 7.3

To severely criticize someone or something

is more colloquial and image-based, not only formal denunciation

C

to castigate

vsto skin someone alive

• Formal

14 8.8

To criticize or punish someone very harshly

is more idiomatic and figurative, focusing on severe reproach rather than formality

L

to let someone have it

vsto skin someone alive

• Informal

11 8.1

To angrily tell someone off

leans toward figurative violent imagery specifically for harsh verbal rebuke

B

to blister

vsto skin someone alive

9 8.1

To attack someone with very strong words

is a colorful figurative expression for extreme scolding, not literal harm

T

to tear someone a new one

vsto skin someone alive

• Offensive

3 9.8

To scold someone very harshly

is a vivid figurative way to say very severe criticism rather than literal harm

K

to keelhaul

vsto skin someone alive

• NSFW

2 9.9

To punish or criticize someone very severely

is figurative and modern, stressing intense verbal or metaphorical punishment

R

to rip someone's head off

vsto skin someone alive

• Offensive

1 8.5

Shout at someone in a very angry way and threaten them

is more image-driven, focusing on severe verbal punishment rather than threats

S

to scald

vsto skin someone alive

1 8.1

To criticize someone or something very harshly

uses a striking violent image to mean very harsh verbal punishment

V

to vituperate

vsto skin someone alive

• Offensive

9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

is vivid figurative language for very severe scolding rather than sustained abuse

E

to eat someone's head off

vsto skin someone alive

• Informal

9.1

To speak angrily to someone and criticize them

is a more metaphorical expression for severe scolding, not physical attack

T

to tan someone's hide

vsto skin someone alive

• Archaic

9.5

To punish someone very harshly, often by hitting or scolding them

is figurative and focuses on extreme scolding rather than actual corporal punishment

Antonyms

R

to reward

328 1.3

To give something to someone to thank them for doing something good

P

praise

161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Harsh

to skin someone alive

• Offensive

6 8.8

to berate

36 7.2

to reprimand

• Formal

33 6.1

to tell off

• Informal

13 4.2

to scold

55 2.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology