scared stiff
adj1
Literally scared to the point of being unable to move, or (figuratively) very scared.
- He was scared stiff, like a deer in the headlights, by the vampire walking toward him.
- I was scared stiff when I saw the car coming; it came like lightning;1895, “Wicke v Albany Railway”, in New York Court of Appeals. Records and Briefs.:
- Synonyms
- petrified, scared to death, scared shitless
- Related terms
- bored stiff