Frighten the pants off Meaning in English
expression
FRAHY-tuhn thuh PANTS awf
fry-TUHN thuh PAAHNTS off
Definition
To scare someone very much; to make someone extremely frightened.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and humorous. Used to exaggerate how frightened someone became. Common in stories, movies, or jokes. Only used with people, not things. Similar expressions: 'scare the life out of' or 'scare someone stiff.'
Spanish: asustar muchísimo - dar un susto de muertePortuguese (BR): assustar pra caramba - dar um baita sustoPortuguese (PT): assustar imenso - assustar que se pelaChinese (Simplified): 把……吓得魂飞魄散 - 吓得屁滚尿流Chinese (Traditional): 把……嚇得魂飛魄散 - 嚇得屁滾尿流Hindi: ज़रदस्त डराना - बुरी तरह डरा देनाArabic: أخاف بشدة - أخاف حتى الموتBengali: ভয় ছড়িয়ে দেয় - আতঙ্কিত করে তোলে (রসিকভাবে)Russian: до смерти напугать - сильно напугать (шуточно)Japanese: めちゃくちゃ怖がらせる - ひどく驚かせる（冗談っぽく）Vietnamese: dọa sợ chết khiếp - làm ai đó hoảng hồn (hài hước)Korean: 혼비백산하게 만들다 - 완전히 놀라게 하다 (농담조로)Turkish: ödünü patlatmak - çok korkutmak (şakacı şekilde)Urdu: جان نکال دینا (ڈرا کر) - بہت زیادہ خوفزدہ کرنا (مذاقاً)Indonesian: menakut-nakuti habis-habisan - membuat sangat ketakutan (secara bercanda)
Example Sentences
That movie frightened the pants off me.
basic
The thunderstorm frightened the pants off the kids.
basic
That loud noise frightened the pants off my dog.
basic
Did you see her face? That prank really frightened the pants off her!
natural
I hate haunted houses—they always frighten the pants off me.
natural
Just wait until you see the bill—it'll frighten the pants off you!
natural