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.
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 mindFig. 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.
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.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017