you could have knocked me down with a feather

you could have knocked me down with a feather

An expression of great or utter surprise, bewilderment, or astonishment. I was so taken aback when I found out I'd won the lottery that you could have knocked me down with a feather!

See also: could, down, feather, have, knock

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

you could have knocked me down with a feather

OLD-FASHIONED

If you say you could have knocked me down with a feather, you mean that you were extremely surprised by something. I won 54 votes to 48. You could have knocked me down with a feather!.

See also: could, down, feather, have, knock

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

you could have knocked me (or her, him, etc.) down with a feather

I (or she, he, etc.) was greatly surprised. informal

A similar idiom is found in Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela ( 1741 ) (‘you might have beat me down with a feather’); the modern form of the expression with knock dates from the mid 19th century.

See also: could, down, feather, have, knock

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

you could have knocked me, etc. down with a ˈfeather

(informal) used to tell somebody about a very surprising experience: When they said how much the painting was worth, you could have knocked me down with a feather!

See also: could, down, feather, have, knock

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017