Strip the skin from (4)
I believe the answer is:
flay
'strip the skin from' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for flay that I've seen before include "Slate" , "Strip the skin from (a carcass)" , "Strip skin off by whipping" , "Fiercely criticise" , "Whip so as to remove skin" .)