white as a sheet
Related to white as a sheet: along the lines, take a back seat, without a hitch
(as) white as a sheet
Extremely and unnaturally pale, as due to fear or illness. His face went as white as a sheet when he saw the burglar in his house. Do you feel all right? Your face is white as a sheet!
See also: sheet, white
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
*white as a sheet
and *white as a ghost; *white as snow; *white as the driven snow[of someone] extremely pale, as if frightened. (*Also: as ~.) Marilyn turned as white as a sheet when the policeman told her that her son had been in a car wreck. Did something scare you? You're white as a sheet! Jane made up the bed with her best linen sheets, which are always as white as snow. We have a new kitten whose fur is white as the driven snow.
See also: sheet, white
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
white as a sheet
Very pale in the face, as in She was white as a sheet after that near encounter. This simile, dating from about 1600, survives despite the fact that bedsheets now come in all colors.
See also: sheet, white
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
white as a sheet
orwhite as a ghost
If someone looks as white as a sheet or as white as a ghost, they look very pale because they are frightened, shocked or ill. When I saw him his face was as white as a sheet and he was crying. She was as white as a ghost and trembling all over.
See also: sheet, white
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
(as) ˌwhite as a ˈsheet/ˈghost
(informal) very pale in the face, because of illness, fear or shock: She went as white as a sheet when she heard the news.See also: ghost, sheet, white
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
white as a sheet
Pale in the face. This simile dates from Shakespeare’s time; he wrote, “And whiter than the sheets!” in Cymbeline (2.2). The term was repeated by Henry Fielding, Frederick Marryat, Artemus Ward, and Thomas Hardy, among many others, and remains current.
See also: sheet, white
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- (as) white as a sheet
- (as) white as a ghost
- white as a sheet/ghost
- be as white as a sheet
- be (as) white as snow
- (as) white as snow
- (as) pale as death
- (as) pale as a ghost
- pale
- pale as a ghost