Meaning of clutch one's pearls | Babel Free

Definitions

To react with consternation to someone or something that violates the usual norms.

Equivalents

Examples

“Of course, you can't say any of this out loud, or people will clutch their pearls and call you a monster.”

“I can tell you I've heard some ugly shit that would make Ozzy Osbourne clutch his pearls.”

“Nala wasn't the type to clutch her pearls and run home.”

“She had conceived of this gathering as an antidote to the typical women's retreats—she wanted to create a space for the women who feel like they don't quite fit into the Good Christian Lady story, the women who make other women clutch their pearls, the women who feel like zebras in a pasture filled with horses.”

“A flashed badge wouldn't make anyone on the Strike management team clutch their pearls, except maybe Darryl, but he wasn't here.”

CEFR level