Meaning: This idiom means to frighten someone so severely that they are extremely shocked or terrified.
Usage in Example Sentences:
- “The sudden loud noise scared me out of my wits!”
- “He was scared out of his wits when the lights went out unexpectedly.”
- “That horror movie scared her out of her wits; she couldn’t sleep all night.”
Origin: The phrase “scare out of one’s wits” dates back to the idea that extreme fear or shock can cause a person to momentarily lose their ability to think clearly. “Wits” refers to mental sharpness or awareness, and being “scared out of one’s wits” suggests that the fright is so intense that it disrupts normal thought processes. This idiom has been used for centuries to describe moments of overwhelming fear.
