flay
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flay
(flā)tr.v. flayed, flay·ing, flays
1. To strip off the skin or outer covering of.
2. To strip of money or goods; fleece.
3. To whip or lash.
4. To assail with stinging criticism; excoriate.
[Middle English flen, from Old English flēan.]
flay′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
flay
(fleɪ)vb (tr)
1. to strip off the skin or outer covering of, esp by whipping; skin
2. to attack with savage criticism
3. to strip of money or goods, esp by cheating or extortion
[Old English flēan; related to Old Norse flā to peel, Lithuanian plešti to tear]
ˈflayer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
flay
(fleɪ)v.t.
1. to strip off the skin or outer covering of, as by whipping.
2. to criticize or scold with scathing severity.
3. to lash.
[before 900; Middle English flen, Old English flēan]
flay′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
flay
Past participle: flayed
Gerund: flaying
| Imperative |
|---|
| flay |
| flay |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | flay - strip the skin off |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
flay
verb
1. skin, strip, peel, scrape, excoriate, remove the skin from to flay the flesh away from his muscles
2. upbraid, slam (slang), castigate, revile, tear into (informal), diss (slang, chiefly U.S.), excoriate, tear a strip off, execrate, pull to pieces (informal), give a tongue-lashing, criticize severely, flame (informal) The critics flayed him with accusations of misanthropy.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
flay
verbTo criticize harshly and devastatingly:
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.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
flay
[fleɪ] VT2. (= criticize) [+ person] → despellejar; [+ book, film] → hacer trizas
3. (= defeat) → dar una paliza a
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
flay
vt
(= skin) animal → abziehen, häuten; person → die Haut abziehen +dat; (= beat) → verdreschen; (= whip) → auspeitschen; to flay somebody alive → jdn gründlich verdreschen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995