nearly

(one's) eyes pop out of (one's) head

One's facial expression indicates surprise. Often modified with words like "practically" or "nearly" after the word "eyes." My eyes practically popped out of my head when I saw that my parents had bought me a car for my birthday!
See also: eye, head, of, out, pop

nearly fall off (one's) chair

To react to something with great shock or surprise. I nearly fell off my chair when Justin offered to do the dishes after dinner!
See also: chair, fall, nearly, off

nearly fall out of (one's) chair

To react to something with great shock or surprise. I nearly fell out of my chair when Justin offered to do the dishes after dinner!
See also: chair, fall, nearly, of, out

nearly jump out of (one's) skin

To physically recoil or flinch in fear or surprise. My goodness, I nearly jumped out of my skin when that alarm went off in the middle of the night.
See also: jump, nearly, of, out, skin

not nearly

Not even close to; not at all; much less than or inferior to. The movie isn't nearly as bad as everyone is saying. They're not nearly paying me enough to have to deal with this.
See also: nearly, not
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

(almost) jump out of one's skin

 and nearly jump out of one's skin
Fig. to react strongly to shock or surprise. Oh! You really scared me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Bill was so startled he almost jumped out of his skin.
See also: jump, of, out, skin
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

jump out of your skin

or

nearly jump out of your skin

If you jump out of your skin or nearly jump out of your skin, you are suddenly very surprised or shocked by something. The doorbell made him jump out of his skin. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw two rats.
See also: jump, of, out, skin
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

jump out of your skin

be extremely startled. informal
See also: jump, of, out, skin
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

your eyes nearly pop out of your ˈhead

(informal) somebody has an expression of great surprise on their face: Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads when we saw a giraffe walking down the High Street. ▶ ˈeye-popping adj. (informal) very surprising or amazing: a movie with eye-popping special effects
See also: eye, head, nearly, of, out, pop

jump out of your ˈskin

(informal) make a quick, sudden movement because something has suddenly frightened you: When I heard the explosion, I nearly jumped out of my skin. She nearly jumped out of her skin when somebody banged on the door in the middle of the night.
See also: jump, of, out, skin

not ˈnearly

much less than; not at all: It’s not nearly as hot as last year. There isn’t nearly enough time to get there now.
See also: nearly, not
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • (one's) eyes pop out of (one's) head
  • your eyes nearly pop out of your head
  • go wide
  • roll (one's) eyes
  • have bags under (one's) eyes
  • peek out
  • peek out (from something)
  • the eyes are the windows of the soul
  • my eyes are up here
  • all eyes are on someone/something
References in classic literature
It was nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came in view of the coast, which was immediately recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr.
Balloon Hoax
When he came to walk home, however, he realized that it was hurting him a great deal; and in the morning his ankle was swollen out nearly double its size, and he could not get his foot into his shoe.
Jungle
Of the eight descendants from (A) the three marked a14, q14, p14, will be nearly related from having recently branched off from a10; b14 and f14, from having diverged at an earlier period from a5, will be in some degree distinct from the three first-named species; and lastly, o14, e14, and m14, will be nearly related one to the other, but from having diverged at the first commencement of the process of modification, will be widely different from the other five species, and may constitute a sub-genus or even a distinct genus.
But as the original species (I) differed largely from (A), standing nearly at the extreme points of the original genus, the six descendants from (I) will, owing to inheritance, differ considerably from the eight descendants from (A); the two groups, moreover, are supposed to have gone on diverging in different directions.
The Origin of Species
In the nature of the land, however, around Maldonado, no such reason is apparent; the rocky mountains afford protected situations; enjoying various kinds of soil; streamlets of water are common at the bottoms of nearly every valley; and the clayey nature of the earth seems adapted to retain moisture.
These islands, situated in the same latitude with Tierra del Fuego and only between two and three hundred miles distant from it, having a nearly similar climate, with a geological formation almost identical, with favourable situations and the same kind of peaty soil, yet can boast of few plants deserving even the title of bushes; whilst in Tierra del Fuego it is impossible to find an acre of land not covered by the densest forest.
When the animal was alive I placed my finger within half an inch of its head, and not the slightest notice was taken: it made its way, however, about the room nearly as well as the others.
The Voyage of the Beagle
Naturally the Chickies and the Gooverooskies and the Epatkas--the Burgomaster Gulls and the Kittiwakes and the Puffins, who are always looking for a chance to be rude, took up the cry, and--so Limmershin told me--for nearly five minutes you could not have heard a gun fired on Walrus Islet.
He went to the Gallapagos, a horrid dry place on the Equator, where he was nearly baked to death; he went to the Georgia Islands, the Orkneys, Emerald Island, Little Nightingale Island, Gough's Island, Bouvet's Island, the Crossets, and even to a little speck of an island south of the Cape of Good Hope.
That nearly broke his heart, and he headed round the Horn back to his own beaches; and on his way north he hauled out on an island full of green trees, where he found an old, old seal who was dying, and Kotick caught fish for him and told him all his sorrows.
The sea cows went on schlooping and grazing and chumping in the weed, and Kotick asked them questions in every language that he had picked up in his travels; and the Sea People talk nearly as many languages as human beings.
As they went farther north they held a bowing council every few hours, and Kotick nearly bit off his mustache with impatience till he saw that they were following up a warm current of water, and then he respected them more.
Jungle Book
`Oh, there goes his PRECIOUS nose'; as an unusually large saucepan flew close by it, and very nearly carried it off.
Alices Adventures In Wonderland
They covered nearly the entire surface of one side of the gorge, the lowest of them reaching even to the water.
Wet, half famished, and chilled to the heart with the dampness of the place, and nearly wild with the pain I endured, I fairly cowered down to the earth under this multiplication of hardships, and abandoned myself to frightful anticipations of evil; and my companion, whose spirit at last was a good deal broken, scarcely uttered a word during the whole night.
Typee