Hide

A hide was the skin of an animal.

As colloquialism
Because humans were considered to have hides, a number of expressions arose, most of them to imply a metaphoric threat. For instance Captain Jack Hobson once issued the general threat that he'd "tear the hides off" anyone who had been tampering with the Moonbase's compression chamber. (TV: The Moonbase) Similarly, another base commander, General Cutler once promised to "have [the] hides" of any of his men who failed a particular assignment he'd given them. (TV: The Tenth Planet) Sezon also used this expression to indicate his displeasure with he and others in his rebellions had become lax. (PROSE: Timelash)