have someone's hide

verb

To punish or subdue someone.

Similar
have someone's headnail someone to the walltan someone's hideamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down on
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Meanings

verbhave someone's hide (third-person singular simple present has someone's hide, present participle having someone's hide, simple past and past participle had someone's hide)

present singular third person has someone's hide · participle present having someone's hide · participle past had someone's hide · past had someone's hide

  1. figurativelyidiomaticTo punish or subdue someone.

    Why doesn't The St. Petersburg Times scrape together $30 million and purchase football's Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Then, when I tell John McKay how to coach, he'd listen or I'd have his hide.

    1981 June 18, Hubert Mizell, “Cubs, new owners: a suspect marriage”, in St. Petersburg Times, retrieved 29 Mar 2009

    Synonyms: have someone's head, nail someone to the wall, tan someone's hide, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo punish or subdue someone.

Similar
have someone's headnail someone to the walltan someone's hideamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down oncorrectfix someone's wagonhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headgive it to someonegive someone what forgive what forgruelmalavoguenail someone to the wallpenalize
Also see
amercechastenchastisecorrectfix someone's wagongive it to someonegive what forgruelhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headnail someone to the wallpenalizepenancepunishtan someone's hidetar outteach someone a lesson

Origin

An earlier phase of the same metaphor as at tan someone's hide § Etymology. The cognitive effect discussed at ass § Usage notes is operative in these usages concerning a person's hide.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish antaa tupenrapinat
  • antaa tupenrapinatTranslations
French avoir la peau de
  • avoir la peau deTranslations
Polish dawać w skórę, dać w skórę
  • dawać w skóręTranslations
  • dać w skóręTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

have someone's hide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20hide

MLA

“have someone's hide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20hide. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have someone's hide,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20hide.

Source: have someone's hide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.