put the fear of God in
put the fear of God in (one)
To cause one to greatly fear the potential consequences of something, such as misbehavior, typically by threats or a graphic description of such consequences. Our chemistry teacher has put the fear of God in us about fooling around near the chemicals and acids. Nearly getting hit by that car really put the fear of God in me—I'll never drive when I'm so tired ever again!
See also: fear, god, of, put
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
put the fear of God in(to) someone
Fig. to frighten someone severely; [for something] to shock someone into contrite behavior. A near miss like that really puts the fear of God into you. Yes, it puts the fear of God in you.
See also: fear, god, of, put
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- put the fear of God in (one)
- put the fear of God in someone
- put the fear of God into
- put the fear of God into (one)
- put the fear of God into somebody
- put the fear of God into someone
- more like
- more like (something)
- answer to the description (of)
- answer to the description of