FLAY

[verb] [T] - to remove the skin from (a person's or animal's body)In prehistoric times, people used flint to flay the animals they killed.To flay a person or animal is to whip them so hard that some of their skin comes off.(figurative) The critics really flayed (= severely criticized) his new book.(informal) to punish or tell someone off severelyMy dad'll flay me alive for crashing his car.