be like a deer caught in the headlights

be like a deer caught in the headlights

To be visibly startled and frozen in fear. I was like a deer caught in the headlights when my mom asked about that hideous sweater she gave me. When the security alarm started blaring, the burglar was like a deer caught in the headlights.

See also: caught, deer, headlight, like

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.