frighten/scare the life out of somebody

frighten the life out of (one)

To shock or frighten one very suddenly and/or severely. (Hyperbolically alludes to frightening someone so severely as to cause them to die.) Don't sneak up on me like that, you frightened the life out of me! That car accident seems to have frightened the life out of Janet—she's still shaken by it.
See also: frighten, life, of, out

scare the life out of (one)

To shock or frighten one very suddenly or severely. Hyperbolically alludes to frightening one so badly as to cause them to die. Don't sneak up on me like that—you scared the life out of me! That car accident seems to have scared the life out of Janet. She's still pretty badly shaken by it.
See also: life, of, out, scare
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

frighten/scare the ˈlife out of somebody

frighten somebody very much: Don’t do that! You scared the life out of me creeping up on me like that!
See also: frighten, life, of, out, scare, somebody
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • frighten the life out of
  • frighten the life out of (one)
  • frighten the life out of someone
  • frighten the hell out of
  • frighten the hell out of (one)
  • scare the (living) daylights out of (one)
  • scare the living daylights out of someone
  • frighten the (living) daylights out of (someone)
  • frighten the daylights out of
  • frighten the pants off (of) (one)