scared stiff

scared stiff

Utterly terrified; so scared that one cannot move. I was scared stiff when I heard someone in our kitchen in the middle of the night. Janet still seems to be scared stiff after the encounter with the mountain lion.
See also: scare, stiff
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

scared stiff

Fig. badly frightened. We were scared stiff by the robber. I was scared stiff when the dog growled at me.
See also: scare, stiff
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

scared stiff

mod. frightened; unable to move from fear. The poor little kid stood there—scared stiff. I was scared stiff for hours after the accident.
See also: scare, stiff
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • scare (one) stiff
  • scare stiff
  • scare (one) witless
  • scare someone witless
  • scare out of one's wits
  • scare (one) out of (one's) wits
  • scare the wits out of (one)
  • be scared witless
  • scare, annoy, etc. the hell out of somebody
  • scare the hell out of (one)
References in classic literature
"The Chiss is cowardly, I'm sure, and if it ever heard my awful, terrible, frightful growl, it would be scared stiff."
'And now,' she said, 'having got us scared stiff, what are you going to do about it?'
Comedy horror movie Scared Stiff in 1953 was to be her final film outing.
PEOPLE are "scared stiff" of walking the streets in a Flintshire town where violence is on the rise, say concerned residents.
They are scared stiff that they might actually have to act rather than sit on their hands, as they have done since the referendum took place.
Such is his form this year for Boro that Aitor Karanka told him he was "scared stiff" of his game-reading centre circle man picking up that dreaded fifth yellow.
Our top officials in charge of agriculture and irrigation are scared stiff by El NiAaAaAeA~o, two words which our ASEAN neighbors don't give damn about.
The animated favourite, Disney Bette Midler classic and Jack Nicholson frightener will screen at 3pm, 6pm and 9pm respectively with the idea being that the first two are for families to enjoy while adults can tuck into their popcorn while being scared stiff by The Shining,
WORRY: Bar collapse Heeding his sister's words, Tamwar decides to patch things up with Nancy, but he's scared stiff when he goes round to the Vic and finds her passed out on the floor after suffering another seizure.
But the event sparked the idea for the start of his novel, Cowgirl - which has been shortlisted in the Best Fiction category for five to 12 year-olds in the Waterstones Children's Book Prize "I was scared stiff," he said.
The only way I can describe it was like being in the dark and seeing a sliver of light and knowing that if you went into the light you would be safe but you were too scared, and I mean scared stiff, to move.
Sara Latta (author); SCARED STIFF; Zest Books (Children's: Young Adult Nonfiction) 12.99 ISBN: 9781936976492
She was just scared stiff that her husband - who has previously boasted of dating models and actresses - would go off her once he'd seen the glorious blood and gore of giving birth.
Pat Wilson Smith On our old picture of New Street Station I remember being scared stiff of those steam monster trains.