flay

/fleɪ/
verb
  1. To strip off the skin or outer covering of an animal or person.
    • The hunter learned to flay a deer quickly and cleanly.
    • In ancient times, some cultures would flay their enemies as a form of punishment.
    • The chef had to flay the fish before filleting it.
  2. To criticize or scold someone very harshly.
    • Her boss flayed her in front of the whole team for missing the deadline.
    • The movie critic flayed the director for the film's poor plot.
    • The editorial flayed the government's handling of the crisis.
Antonyms
What does "flay" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean