daylights

word · lemma: daylight

Definition

'Daylights' is mainly used in idioms like 'scare the daylights out of (someone)', where it means someone's senses or consciousness. Rarely, it can refer to the actual light during the day or informally to the eyes.

Usage & Nuances

'Daylights' is almost never used alone; it's mainly found in set phrases like 'scare the daylights out of' or 'beat the daylights out of', meaning to frighten or hurt someone badly. In old-fashioned English, it could mean 'eyes' or 'senses', but this is rare today.

Spanish: luz del día - ojos (figurado, solo en expresiones idiomáticas como 'scare the daylights out of')Portuguese (BR): luz do dia - olhos (figurado, só em expressões idiomáticas como 'scare the daylights out of')Portuguese (PT): luz do dia - olhos (figurado, só em expressões idiomáticas como 'scare the daylights out of')Chinese (Simplified): 日光 - 眼睛（比喻，仅用于惯用语，如“scare the daylights out of”）Chinese (Traditional): 日光 - 眼睛（比喻，只用於慣用語，例如“scare the daylights out of”）Hindi: दिन का उजाला - आँखें (रूपक रूप में, खासकर मुहावरे जैसे 'scare the daylights out of')Arabic: ضوء النهار - العيون (مجازياً، في تعبيرات مثل 'scare the daylights out of')

Example Sentences

My brother tried to scare the daylights out of me on Halloween.

basic

The movie beat the daylights out of all the other films this year.

basic

He woke up before the daylights appeared through the window.

basic

That haunted house scared the daylights out of me!

natural

He worked the daylights out of that old car to get it running again.

natural

She laughed the daylights out of herself after hearing that joke.

natural