A Hiding Is a Beating, From an Animal's Hide
Hiding means concealment, and also a thrashing. The second sense comes from the skin, not from hiding anything.
Hiding is the act of concealing oneself, and in British usage a severe beating or defeat. The two are unrelated: the beating sense comes from *hide* meaning an animal's skin, so to give someone a hiding is to tan their hide. Sports reporting uses it constantly for heavy defeats.
- Concealment. *In hiding.*
- A beating or heavy defeat. *They took a hiding.*
- On a hiding to nothing — in a no-win position. *He is on a hiding to nothing.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hiding | A good hiding. |
| Verb | hide | Hide the key. |
| Past | hid / hidden | Well hidden. |
| Noun | hide | A cow hide. |
| Noun | hide | A birdwatching hide. |
How it is used in a sentence
- United took a hiding.A heavy defeat.
- He went into hiding.Concealment.
- A hide is a shelter for watching wildlife.American: a blind.
The senses of *hide*
- To conceal — from Old English *hydan*
- An animal skin — from Old English *hyd*
- A wildlife shelter — from the concealment sense
- A hiding — a beating, from the skin sense
- A hide of land — a medieval measure, enough to support a household
The concealment sense is from Old English *hydan*; the skin sense from *hyd*. The beating sense derives from the second.
What does *on a hiding to nothing* mean?
In a position where you cannot win: success brings no credit and failure brings blame.
Are the two hides related?
No. Concealing and animal skin come from different Old English words that happen to have converged.