skin (skins plural & 3rd person present) (skinning present participle) (skinned past tense & past participle )
1 n-var Your skin is the natural covering of your body.
His skin is clear and smooth..., There are three major types of skin cancer..., The only difference between us is the colour of our skins.
2 n-var An animal skin is skin which has been removed from a dead animal. Skins are used to make things such as coats and rugs.
usu supp N
That was real crocodile skin.
3 n-var The skin of a fruit or vegetable is its outer layer or covering.
The outer skin of the orange is called the `zest'., ...banana skins.
4 n-sing If a skin forms on the surface of a liquid, a thin, fairly solid layer forms on it.
Stir the custard occasionally to prevent a skin forming.
5 verb If you skin a dead animal, you remove its skin.
...with the expertise of a chef skinning a rabbit. V n
6
→
-skinned
→
banana skin
7 If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you just manage to do it.
by the skin of one's teeth phrase PHR with cl
He won, but only by the skin of his teeth.
8 If you say that someone has a thick skin, you mean that they are able to listen to criticism about themselves without becoming offended.
a thick skin phrase N inflects, usu v PHR
You need a thick skin to be a headmaster.
9 →
to make your skin crawl →
crawl
banana skin (banana skins plural )
1 n-count The thick yellow or green covering of a banana is called a banana skin.
(BRIT)
in AM, use banana peel
2 n-count If an important or famous person slips on a banana skin, they say or do something that makes them look stupid and causes them problems.
(mainly BRIT, JOURNALISM)
...waiting for the government to slip on this week's banana skin.
in AM, use banana peel
skin care , skincare
Skin care involves keeping your skin clean, healthy-looking, and attractive. n-uncount oft N n
...a unique range of natural skincare products.
skin deep , skin-deep
Something that is only skin deep is not a major or important feature of something, although it may appear to be. adj usu v-link ADJ
Beauty is only skin deep...
skin-tight , skintight
Skin-tight clothes fit very tightly so that they show the shape of your body. adj usu ADJ n
...the youth with the slicked down hair and skin-tight trousers.
