have someone's hide

verb

"have-someone-s-hide" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“have someone's hide” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
19
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To punish or subdue someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-have-someone-s-hide · have someone's hide · English

have someone's hide · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 19 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for have someone's hide
PropertyValue
Headwordhave someone's hide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters19
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “have someone's hide” in English

have someone's hidesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

have someone's hide is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To punish or subdue someone.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for have someone's hide, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: An earlier phase of the same metaphor as at tan someone's hide § Etymology. The cognitive effect discussed at ass § Usage notes is operative in these usages concerning a person's hide. The correct English form is have someone's hide, spelled H-A-V-E- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E-'-S- -H-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To punish or subdue someone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how have someone's hide appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Why doesn't The St. Petersburg Times scrape together $30 million and purchase football's Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Then, when I tell John McKay how to coach, he'd listen or I'd have his hide.

Etymology

An earlier phase of the same metaphor as at tan someone's hide § Etymology. The cognitive effect discussed at ass § Usage notes is operative in these usages concerning a person's hide.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "have someone's hide"?
"have someone's hide" is spelled H-A-V-E- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E-'-S- -H-I-D-E.
What does "have someone's hide" mean?
As a verb, "have someone's hide" means: To punish or subdue someone.
What is the origin of the word "have someone's hide"?
An earlier phase of the same metaphor as at tan someone's hide § Etymology. The cognitive effect discussed at ass § Usage notes is operative in these usages concerning a person's hide. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list