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Glite Dictionary
to grow some skin

to grow some skin

9.4
To become less upset by criticism or problems
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hacerse más fuerte
  • To succeed in this industry, you must grow some skin and learn not to take things personally.

Examples

  • In the competitive workplace, you need to grow some skin to thrive amidst all the feedback.

  • After facing constant criticism, she realized it was time to grow some skin to handle the negativity better.

  • Don't be a puss; grow some skin and let the comments go.

    Blog text (6)

Synonyms

to toughen up
vsto grow some skin
  • Informal
17 4.2

To become or to make someone mentally stronger and less hurt by criticism

asks to develop toughness specifically in response to criticism or adversity
to toughen
vsto grow some skin
15 3.9

To make a person or thing stronger so it can handle hard situations

targets emotional resilience to criticism rather than general physical toughness
to take it on the chin
vsto grow some skin
  • Informal
7 8.2

Accept failure or criticism bravely without complaining

means to develop inner toughness actively rather than only accept events
to ride with the punches
vsto grow some skin
  • Informal
7.2

To accept and adapt to difficult times without giving up

focuses on building lasting emotional toughness rather than short term flexibility

How Resilient

to grow some skin
  • Informal
9.4
to cope
272 2.9

Surface Forms

grow some skin infinitive
grew some skin past
grown some skin past participle
growing some skin present participle
grows some skin third person singular

Morphology

grow + some + skin

The meaning is partly inferable because 'grow' (develop) combined with 'skin' understood metaphorically as a protective covering suggests developing emotional protection or resilience. However, the emotional-toughness sense is a metaphorical/collocational extension (more commonly expressed as 'grow a thick skin') and thus not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Grow some skin uses the image of skin getting thicker and stronger, as if you could grow a protective layer so small insults do not hurt you. So it means 'to become tougher emotionally' and not be upset by every criticism.