Meaning of scare straight | Babel Free

Definitions

To frighten (someone) to such a degree that a significant improvement in behavior results.

idiomatic, transitive

Examples

“Indeed, there is a streak of Reaganomics that believes the only way to motivate American workers is to scare them straight with unemployment charts.”

“Thomas credited the boot camp for scaring him straight.”

“Slimmed down and scared straight after his bypass surgery, Clinton brokers a deal to get sugary drinks out of schools.”

CEFR level