tan someone's hide

verb

To beat or spank someone, usually on their backside.

Similar
have someone's hidegive someone what fornail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down on
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Meanings

verbtan someone's hide (third-person singular simple present tans someone's hide, present participle tanning someone's hide, simple past and past participle tanned someone's hide)

present singular third person tans someone's hide · participle present tanning someone's hide · participle past tanned someone's hide · past tanned someone's hide

  1. figurativelyidiomaticTo beat or spank someone, usually on their backside.

    "You lying little snipe," he roared. ". . . I've a mind to tan your hide good."

    1908, Stewart Edward White, chapter 12, in The Adventures of Bobby Orde

    Synonyms: have someone's hide, give someone what for, nail someone to the wall, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo beat or spank someone, usually on their backside.

Similar
have someone's hidegive someone what fornail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down oncorrectfix someone's wagonhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headhave someone's hidegive it to someonegive someone what forgive what forgruelmalavoguenail someone to the wallpenalize
Also see
beat someone's asshave someone's headhave someone's hidepunish

Origin

By metaphor from tannery: beating hides (to condition them), tanning them (with dyes and chemicals), and so on.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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