frighten (one) out of (one's) wits

frighten (one) out of (one's) wits

To shock or scare one very suddenly and/or severely. Hyperbolically alludes to frightening one so severely as to cause them to become insane. Don't sneak up on me like that, you frightened me out of my wits! That car accident seems to have frightened Janet out of her wits—she's still shaken by it.

See also: frighten, of, out, wit

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

frighten one out of one's wits

 and scare one out of one's wits; frighten someone out of a year's growth; scare someone out of a year's growth; frighten one out of one's mind; scare one out of one's mind

Fig. to frighten one very badly. Oh! That loud noise scared me out of my wits. I'll give him a good scolding and frighten him out of his wits. Oh, you frightened me out of a year's growth! You frightened Bob out of his mind.

See also: frighten, of, one, out, wit

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

frighten/scare somebody out of their ˈwits

frighten somebody very much: I was scared out of my wits when I looked out of the window and saw the aircraft’s engine on fire.

See also: frighten, of, out, scare, somebody, wit

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017