hair-raiser
1. That which causes one intense or extreme terror or fright. Driving home on such an icy mountain road in the middle of the night was a hair-raiser. I thought I would go sliding off a cliff at any moment! I'm usually not too affected by horror movies, but this one's a hair-raiser. I don't know how I'll get to sleep tonight. I don't care that your pet tarantula is in an enclosure—just knowing it's in the same room as us is a total hair-raiser!
2. That which causes one intense excitement or thrills. That roller coaster is a real hair-raiser—my heart's still racing! His story was a hair-raiser. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! A: "Bungee jumping? Are you crazy?" B: "What? I want to do something that's a real hair-raiser for my 30th birthday!"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.