the stuff nightmares are made of

the stuff nightmares are made of

1. That which is especially disturbing, grotesque, or horrific. My grandparents' cellar was always the stuff nightmares were made of when I was a kid—dark, dirty, and positively crawling with spiders. What we saw when we knocked down the rotten wall was the stuff nightmares are made of—a huge, writhing mass of rats.

2. That which is unbearably unpleasant or distressing. The things that disease does to your body is the stuff nightmares are made of. Having to endure the death of your children—I can't stand to even think of it. It's the stuff nightmares are made of.

See also: made, nightmare, of, stuff

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