His shirt was too small for him and cut into the tender flesh at his armpit
strip, tear at/off
Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. African hunting dogs will tear at the flesh of their victim until it is weak
dig into, pierce (into), tear (into)
Cook the duck until the juices run pale yellow when the flesh is pierced. The weapon tore into his flesh
eat
According to Greek mythology, the minotaur would only eat human flesh
become, make sth
(literary) In the Christian tradition, God is made flesh (= becomes human)
FLESH + VERB
tingle
My flesh tingled as I got out of the ice cold pool
crawl, creep (both figurative)
The scary story made his flesh creep (= made him feel afraid)
FLESH + NOUN
wound
The injury was only a flesh wound and would heal in ten days or so
tone
In the centre of the painting there is a woman painted in blues, reds and flesh tones (= colours used to paint human skin)
PREP
in the ~
Thousands of fans gathered to see the band in the flesh (= see the band in reality and not just in a picture)
PHRASES
flesh and blood
She wasn't a ghost. She was flesh and blood (= alive/real)
flesh and bone
Babies are born not just as bundles of flesh and bone (= not simply living bodies without thoughts or feelings) but with already distinctive personalities
the lusts/pleasures/sins/temptations of the flesh
His moral sermons always denounced the lusts of the flesh (= the fulfilment of purely physical or sexual desires)