I. skin1 S2 W2 /skɪn/
noun[
Date: 1100-1200;
Language: Old Norse;
Origin: skinn]
1. BODY [uncountable and countable] the natural outer layer of a person’s or animal’s body:
She had thick black hair and smooth dark skin. The skin on his hands was dry and rough. ⇒
skincare2. FROM AN ANIMAL [uncountable and countable] the skin of an animal, sometimes including its fur, used to make leather, clothes etc:
a leopard skin3. FOOD [uncountable and countable] a) the natural outer cover of some fruits and vegetables
Synonym : peel:
banana skins b) the outer cover of a
sausage4. ON A LIQUID [uncountable and countable] a thin solid layer that forms on the top of a liquid, especially when it gets cold:
Cover the soup to stop a skin from forming.5. PART OF AN OBJECT [countable] a layer that is part of a vehicle, building, object etc, especially on the outside:
The outer skin of the aircraft was not punctured. The lampshade has a double skin so that it remains cool.6. COMPUTER [uncountable and countable] the way particular information appears on a computer screen, especially when this can be changed quickly and easily
7. have (a) thin/thick skin to be easily upset or not easily upset by criticism:
This is not a job for someone with thin skin.8. get under sb’s skin informal if someone gets under your skin, they annoy you, especially by the way they behave:
What really gets under my skin is people who push straight to the front of the line.9. by the skin of your teeth informal if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it, and very nearly failed to do it:
Two others made it by the skin of their teeth.10. make sb’s skin crawl informal to make someone feel very uncomfortable or slightly afraid:
Her singing makes my skin crawl.11. be skin and bone British Englishbe skin and bones American English informal to be extremely thin in a way that is unattractive and unhealthy
12. it’s no skin off sb’s nose spoken used to say that someone does not care what another person thinks or does, because it does not affect them:
If she doesn’t want me to help, it’s no skin off my nose!13. something is only skin deep used to say that something may seem to be important or effective, but it really is not because it only affects the way things appear:
Beauty is only skin deep.14. skins [plural] British English informal papers for rolling a cigarette, especially one with
marijuana in it
⇒
save sb’s skin at
save1(11), ⇒
jump out of your skin at
jump1(4)
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
II. skin2 verb (
past tense and past participle skinned,
present participle skinning)
[transitive]1. to remove the skin from an animal, fruit, or vegetable ⇒
peel:
Add the tomatoes, skinned and sliced.2. to hurt yourself by rubbing off some skin
Synonym : graze:
She fell and skinned her knee.3. skin somebody alive to punish someone very severely – used humorously:
Dad will skin you alive when he sees this place!4. informal to completely defeat someone
Synonym : hammer:
The football team really skinned Watertown last year.5. there's more than one way to skin a cat used to say that there are several ways of achieving something
skin up phrasal verb British English informal to make a cigarette with
marijuana in it
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲