verb
tan
To beat someone severely.
The bully threatens to tan my hide if I complain.
Etymology
Tan's beating sense is associated with tanning a person's hide. The leather-working image became a figurative threat of severe physical punishment.
More examples
- The farmer threatened to tan our hides for stealing apples.
- He came home bruised after the gang tanned his hide.
- Nobody has the right to tan a child's hide.
Forms
tan · tans · tanned · tanning