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Frighten the living daylights out of Meaning in English

expression

FRY-tuhn thuh LIV-ing DAY-lyts OWT uhv
fry-TEN thuh LIV-ing DAY-lyts OWT ov

Definition

To scare someone very badly; to shock or startle someone so much that they feel extremely frightened.

Usage & Nuances

This is an informal, emphatic idiom often used in stories, jokes, or when describing being extremely startled. Usually follows the pattern 'X frightened the living daylights out of Y.' Not used in formal writing.

Spanish: asustar muchísimo - dar un susto de muerte aPortuguese (BR): assustar demais - dar um susto daqueles emPortuguese (PT): assustar imenso - assustar muitoChinese (Simplified): 把……吓个半死 - 吓得魂飞魄散Chinese (Traditional): 把……嚇個半死 - 嚇得魂飛魄散Hindi: बुरी तरह डरा देनाArabic: أخاف حتى الموت - أفزع بشدةBengali: ভয় পেয়ে অস্থির করে তোলাRussian: напугать до чертиков - перепугать до смертиJapanese: 驚かせて肝をつぶすほどにするVietnamese: làm ai đó sợ chết khiếpKorean: 혼비백산하게 놀라게 하다Turkish: ödünü patlatmak - ödünü koparmakUrdu: بری طرح سے ڈرا دیناIndonesian: menakut-nakuti setengah mati

Example Sentences

The ghost story frightened the living daylights out of me.

basic

That dog barking suddenly frightened the living daylights out of the kids.

basic

The movie's ending frightened the living daylights out of the audience.

basic

You frightened the living daylights out of me when you jumped out like that!

natural

The thunder last night frightened the living daylights out of my cat.

natural

He loves horror pranks that frighten the living daylights out of his friends.

natural