to tan someone's hide
- idiom
- Archaic
:
dar una paliza
- Mr. Cohill, did anyone ever take down your britches and tan your hide?
Examples
-
Run along, or your mother will tan your hide, too.
-
l'm gonna tan your hide!
-
Boss Hogg'll tan my hide.
-
Go get the new truck, Elly May, before I tan your hide.
-
I'll tan your hide and put you in a stew!
-
Well, you best take care you don't hook none of these windows in this house, young man, or your Daddy will tan your hide.
-
If you don't finish your homework, I'll have to tan your hide later.
-
You better behave, or I will tan your hide for sure.
-
Don't think you can sneak out; I'll tan your hide if you get caught.
Synonyms
15
7.3
To severely criticize someone or something
6
8.8
To scold or punish someone severely to show strong anger, not a real action
3
6.3
To angrily tell someone they did something wrong
To punish or scold someone strongly for making a mistake
To scold someone angrily for something they did
To angrily tell someone they did something wrong, often in front of others
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'tan' (treat skin) and 'hide' (animal skin), so there is a clear metaphoric image of treating someone's skin which suggests physical harm or chastisement. However, the idiomatic shift to mean 'severely punish or scold' is historical and culturally specific, not fully predictable from the parts for a B1 learner, so partial transparency applies.
Etymology
Tan someone's hide may come from the old practice of tanning animal hide to make leather. Picture the skin being beaten and treated in that process, and you can see why the phrase now means 'to punish or scold someone severely'.