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save one's skin

 - 7 dictionary results

skin

  [skin] noun, verb, skinned, skin⋅ning, adjective
Use save one's skin in a Sentence
–noun
1. the external covering or integument of an animal body, esp. when soft and flexible.
2. such an integument stripped from the body of an animal, esp. a small animal; pelt: a beaver skin.
3. the tanned or treated pelt or hide of an animal, esp. when used in apparel and accessories; leather (usually used in combination): pigskin; calfskin.
4. any integumentary covering, casing, outer coating, or surface layer, as an investing membrane, the rind or peel of fruit, or a film on liquid: a skin of thin ice; the aluminum skin of an airplane.
5. Jewelry.
a. the outermost layer of a pearl.
b. the outermost layer of a diamond as found: often different in color and refraction from the inner part of the stone.
6. Nautical.
a. the shell or ceiling of a hull.
b. the outer, exposed part of a furled sail.
7. Metallurgy. an outer layer of a metal piece having characteristics differing from those of the interior.
8. a container made of animal skin, used for holding liquids, esp. wine.
9. Slang. condom.
10. skins, Slang. drums.
11. Slang. a swindler; cheat.
12. Slang. a skinflint.
13. Slang. a horse.
14. Slang. a dollar bill.
15. Rocketry. the outer surface of a missile or rocket.
–verb (used with object)
16. to strip or deprive of skin; flay; peel; husk.
17. to remove or strip off (any covering, outer coating, surface layer, etc.).
18. to scrape or rub a small piece of skin from (one's hand, leg, etc.), as in falling or sliding against something: She skinned her knee.
19. to urge on, drive, or whip (a draft animal, as a mule or ox).
20. to climb or jump: He skinned the rope to the top of the wall.
21. to cover with or as if with skin.
22. Slang. to strip of money or belongings; fleece, as in gambling.
23. Cards. to slide cards one at a time off the top of (the pack) in dealing.
24. Slang. to defeat completely: skinned at the polls.
25. Slang. to castigate; reprimand: skinned for his disobedience.
–verb (used without object)
26. Slang. to slip off or depart hurriedly (often followed by out).
–adjective
27.
a. Slang. showing or featuring nude persons, often in a sexually explicit way: a skin magazine.
b. presenting films, stage shows, exhibitions, etc., that feature nude persons, esp. in a sexually explicit way: a Times Square skin house.
—Idioms
28. by the skin of one's teeth, Informal. by an extremely narrow margin; just barely; scarcely: We made the last train by the skin of our teeth.
29. get under one's skin, Slang.
a. to irritate; bother: His laugh really gets under my skin.
b. to affect deeply; impress; penetrate: That sort of music always gets under my skin.
30. have a thick skin, to be insensitive to criticism or rebuffs: The complaint desk is a job for someone who has a thick skin.
31. have a thin skin, to be extremely sensitive to criticism or rebuffs; be easily offended: Be careful what you say to me, I have a thin skin.
32. in or with a whole skin, without harm; unscathed; safely: She escaped from the burning building with a whole skin.
33. no skin off one's back, nose, or teeth, Slang. of no interest or concern or involving no risk to one.
34. save one's skin, Informal. to avoid harm, esp. to escape death: They betrayed their country to save their skins.
35. skin alive, Informal.
a. to reprimand; scold.
b. to subdue completely, esp. in a cruel or ruthless manner: The home team was skinned alive this afternoon.
36. under the skin, in essence; fundamentally; despite appearances or differences: sisters under the skin.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME (n.) < ON skinn; c. dial. G Schinde skin of fruit

Related forms:
skinlike, adjective

Synonyms:
2. fur. Skin, hide, pelt are names for the outer covering of animals, including humans. Skin is the general word: an abrasion of the skin; the skin of a muskrat. Hide applies to the skin of large animals, as cattle, horses, or elephants: a buffalo hide. Pelt applies to the untanned skin of smaller animals: a mink pelt. 4. hull, shell, husk, crust.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

skin

The external tissue that covers the body. As the body's largest organ (it makes up about one twenty-fifth of an adult's weight), the skin serves as a waterproof covering that helps keep out pathogens and protects against temperature extremes and sunlight. The skin also contains special nerve endings that respond to touch, pressure, heat, and cold. The skin has an outer layer, or epidermis, and a layer immediately below, called the dermis.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
skin

  1. n.
    a dollar bill. : This ticket cost me a couple of skins—and it's not worth it. , You got a skin for the tollbooth?
  2. n.
    and skinhead. someone with a shaved or bald head. (Some such persons may also engage in political violence.) : Who's the skinhead with the earrings?
  3. tv.
    to cheat or overcharge someone. : The guy who sold me this car really skinned me.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

skin  (n.)
c.1200, "animal hide" (usually dressed and tanned), from O.N. skinn "animal hide," from P.Gmc. *skintha- (cf. O.H.G. scinten, Ger. schinden "to flay, skin;" Ger. dial. schind "skin of a fruit," Flem. schinde "bark"), from PIE *sken- "cut off" (cf. Bret. scant "scale of a fish," Ir. scainim "I tear, I burst"), from base *sek- "cut." Replaced native hide; the modern technical distinction between the two words is based on the size of the animal. Meaning "epidermis of a living animal or person" is attested from 1340; extended to fruits, vegetables, etc. 1398.
"Ful of fleissche Y was to fele, Now ... Me is lefte But skyn & boon." [hymn, c.1430]
Jazz slang sense of "drum" is from 1927. As an adj., it formerly had a slang sense of "cheating" (1868); sense of "pornographic" is attested from 1968. The verb is attested from 1392, from the noun. Skin-tight is from 1885; skin deep is first attested 1613 in this:
"All the carnall beauty of my wife, Is but skin-deep." [Sir Thomas Overbury, "A Wife," 1613; the poem was a main motive for his murder]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2skin
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: skinned; skin·ning
: to cut or scrape the skin of skinned his knee>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

skin (skĭn)
n.
The membranous tissue forming an external protective covering or integument of an animal and consisting of the epidermis and dermis. v. skinned, skin·ning, skins
To bruise, cut, or injure the skin of.

skin'less adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
skin   (skĭn)  Pronunciation Key 
The outer covering of a vertebrate animal, consisting of two layers of cells, a thick inner layer (the dermis) and a thin outer layer (the epidermis). Structures such as hair, scales, or feathers are contained in the skin, as are fat cells, sweat glands, and sensory receptors. Skin provides a protective barrier against disease-causing microorganisms and against the sun's ultraviolet rays. In warm-blooded animals, it aids in temperature regulation, as by insulating against the cold.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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