knock the daylights out of
knock the (living) daylights out of (one)
1. To physically attack one, as with punches and other blows, such that they suffer significant injury. This phrase can be used both literally and hyperbolically. Our neighbor is in the hospital because a burglar knocked the daylights out of him. I'm worried that the captain of the football team will knock the living daylights out of me if he finds out that I'm secretly seeing his girlfriend. Oh, my boyfriend knows that I would knock the living daylights out of him if he ever lies to me about something that serious.
2. To defeat one decisively in a competition. The final score was 17-1? Wow, we really knocked the living daylights out of that team!
See also: daylight, knock, of, out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
knock the (living) daylights out of someone
Fig. Inf. to beat someone severely. If you do that again, I will knock the living daylights out of you. Fred wants to knock the living daylights out of his enemy, Mike "Fingers" Moran.
See also: daylight, knock, of, out
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- beat the (living) daylights out of (one)
- beat the hell out of
- beat the living daylights out of someone
- beat the tar out of (one)
- beat/knock/kick the hell out of somebody/something
- beat/scare the daylights out of somebody
- knock the (living) daylights out of (one)
- knock the hell out of
- knock the hell out of (one)