# tan someone's hide

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/tan-someones-hide
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To beat or spank someone, usually on their backside.

## Examples

- If you break that vase, your father will tan your hide.
- You should stop fighting before your mother decides to tan your hide.
- He was afraid the angry neighbor would tan his hide for breaking the window.
- The farmer warned the boys that he would tan their hides if they were caught stealing apples again.
- My grandfather often tells stories about how his teachers would tan his hide whenever he skipped his chores to go fishing at the river.
- The coach was so angry about the team's lazy attitude that he looked ready to tan someone's hide right there on the field.
- The stern schoolmaster threatened to tan the hide of any student who dared to disrupt his lecture with such insolent behavior.

## Origin

The term arises by way of a metaphor from the leather tannery, where animal skins are subjected to a series of physical and chemical indignities. To condition the hide for use, it must be beaten, scraped, and treated with tannins; the idiom merely transfers this vigorous structural preparation from the animal carcass to the human subject.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.