1
general::
skin
adjectives
fair/pale/white
• I have fair skin that burns very easily.
dark/brown/black
• a girl with beautiful dark skin
olive
(= the colour typical of people from Greece, Italy etc )
• a boy with dark eyes and olive skin
tanned
• His skin was slightly tanned.
smooth/soft
• Her skin was smooth and pale.
beautiful
• She had beautiful brown skin.
good/healthy/clear
(= smooth and without any red spots )
• Vitamin E helps keep your skin healthy.
bad/terrible
(= with many spots or marks )
• I had terrible skin when I was a teenager. • My skin’s really bad at the moment.
flawless
(= perfect, with no spots or marks )
• The girls all had perfect features and flawless skin.
dry
• A lot of women suffer from dry skin.
oily
• My skin has a tendency to be oily.
sensitive
(= becoming red or sore easily )
• Special shampoos are available for those with sensitive skin.
itchy
(= making you want to scratch )
• The cream made my skin feel itchy.
rough
(= not smooth or soft )
• The skin on his hands was rough and dry.
leathery
(= thick and dry )
• a lean man with leathery skin and sea-blue eyes
wrinkled
(= covered in lines because of age )
• an old lady with wrinkled skin
scaly
(= hard and dry, like the skin on animals such as lizards )
• The crocodile’s scaly skin is ideally suited to its way of life.
verbs
burn/damage your skin
• Strong sunlight can damage your skin.
break the skin
(= make a hole in it )
• Luckily the skin wasn't broken.
protect your skin
• It's important to use suntan lotion to protect your skin.
irritate your skin
(= make it red or sore )
• Some types of make-up can irritate your skin.
soothe your skin
(= to stop it feeling painful or uncomfortable )
• The lotion helps to soothe your skin after you've been in the sun all day.
your skin glows/shines
(= it looks healthy )
• beauty products that will make your skin glow
your skin peels
(= the top layer comes off after you have had a sun tan )
• The week after the holiday my skin was already starting to peel.
your skin sags
(= it hangs down in loose folds, because you are old )
• The skin on her arms was already starting to sag.
skin + NOUN
skin colour
( also the colour of your skin )
• There is still discrimination on the basis of skin colour.
skin tone
(= how light or dark someone’s skin is )
• Do the colours of your clothes enhance your skin tone?
a skin condition/complaint/disease
• She suffers from a nasty skin condition.
skin irritation
• A lot of chemicals can cause skin irritation.
a skin rash
• Skin rashes are common among children.
skin cancer
• Too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.
transnet.ir
2
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with SKIN, Also see BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP; BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH; GET UNDER SOMEONE'S SKIN; JUMP OUT OF ONE'S SKIN; MAKE ONE'S FLESH CREEP (SKIN CRAWL); MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT; NO SKIN OFF ONE'S NOSE; SAVE ONE'S BACON (SKIN); SOAKED TO THE SKIN; THICK SKIN.
American Heritage Idioms