SKIN ALIVE

{v. phr.} 1. {informal} To scold angrily. * /Mother will skin you alive when she sees your torn pants./ 2. {informal} To spank or beat. * /Dad was ready to skin us alive when he found we had ruined his saw./ 3. {slang} To defeat. * /We all did our best, but the visiting gymnastic team skinned us alive./