thick skin
Ability to take criticism or harsh behavior without being easily offended.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You need a thick skin to work in sales.”
“She developed a thick skin after years of dealing with difficult customers at the office.”
“To survive in the competitive world of professional politics, one must cultivate a thick skin against constant public scrutiny.”
From a compound of the adjective *thick* and the noun *skin*. It is a routine construction of Germanic origin, with *thick* descending from Old English *þicce* and *skin* from Old Norse *skinn*.
- 01
blood is thicker than water
Family relations and loyalties are stronger than relationships with people who are not family members.
- 02
come thick and fast
To arrive rapidly in large groups.
- 03
comfortable in one's own skin
Relaxed and confident in one's manner of presenting oneself and interacting with others; conveying the impression that one has a clear, satisfying understanding of one's own abilities and situation.
- 04
get under someone's skin
To irritate someone.
- 05
get underneath someone's skin
Alternative form of get under someone's skin.
- 06
jump in one's skin
To start with fright.
- 07
lay it on thick
To exaggerate or overstate a feeling or emotion.
- 08
make someone's skin crawl
To frighten or disgust.
Last updated August 10, 2026