flay

flay
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
v. t. skin, peel; criticize. See divestment, disapprobation.
II
(Roget's IV) v.
1. [To remove skin, bark, hide, etc.]
Syn. peel, scalp, excoriate; see skin .
2. [To criticize]
Syn. reprove, castigate, rebuke; see censure .
III
(Roget's Thesaurus II) verb To criticize harshly and devastatingly: blister, drub, excoriate, lash, rip into, scarify1, scathe, scorch, score, scourge, slap, slash. Informal: roast. Slang: slam. Idioms: burn someone's ears, crawl all over, pin someone's ears back, put someone on the griddle, put someone on the hot seat, rake over the coals, read the riot act to. See PRAISE.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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  • Flay — may refer to:* Flay Allster, a fictional character in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED * Flaying, the removal of skin from the body * Mr. Flay, a fictional character in the Gormenghast novelsPeople named Flay:* Bobby Flay (born 1964), celebrity… …   Wikipedia

  • Flay — (fl[=a]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Flayed} (fl[=a]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Flaying}.] [OE. flean, flan, AS. fle[ a]n; akin to D. vlaen, Icel. fl[=a], Sw. fl[*a], Dan. flaae, cf. Lith. pleszti to tear, plyszti, v.i., to burst, tear; perh. akin to E. flag… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flay´er — flay «flay», transitive verb. 1. to strip off the skin or outer covering of; skin: »Whole deer were often brought in to be…flayed (George James). 2. Figurative. to scold severely; criticize without pity or mercy. 3. to rob; cheat. 4. Rare …   Useful english dictionary

  • flay — flay; flay·er; …   English syllables

  • flay — index denude, lash (attack verbally), lash (strike), plunder, reprimand, reproach Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • flay — [fleı] v [T] [: Old English; Origin: flean] 1.) formal to criticize someone very severely ▪ She was well known for flaying public officials in her daily column. 2.) literary to whip or beat someone very severely 3.) formal to remove the skin from …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • flay — [ fleı ] verb transitive 1. ) to hit or whip a person or animal severely, so that the skin is broken a ) to remove the outer layer of something, usually the skin of an animal 2. ) to criticize someone or something in a very severe or cruel way …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • flay — (v.) O.E. flean to skin (strong verb, pt. flog, pp. flagen), from P.Gmc. *flakhanan (Cf. M.Du. vlaen, O.H.G. flahan, O.N. fla), from PIE root *pleik (Cf. Gk. plessein to strike, Lith. pleЕЎiu to tear; see …   Etymology dictionary

  • flay — vb *skin, decorticate, peel, pare Analogous words: *abrade, excoriate, chafe: rack, torture, torment, *afflict: chastise, castigate, *punish …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • flay — ► VERB 1) strip the skin from (a body or carcass). 2) whip or beat harshly. 3) criticize harshly. DERIVATIVES flayer noun. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • flay — [flā] vt. [ME flan < OE flean, akin to MDu vlaen, ON fla < IE base * plēk̑ , to tear off > FLITCH] 1. to strip off the skin or hide of, as by whipping 2. to criticize or scold mercilessly 3. to rob; pillage …   English World dictionary

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