Meaning of the pants off | Babel Free

Definitions

An intensifier used with some transitive action verbs to indicate that the action is performed with thoroughness, vigor, or complete success.

idiomatic

Examples

“"And did you also feel like you could whip the pants off any mother's son alive?"”

“Reuters had scooped the pants off the U.S. press.”

“Jeffrey Vinik, manager of the $56 billion Fidelity Magellan Fund, the world's largest and most closely watched mutual fund, "beat the pants off the managers of other large funds," in the words of one analyst.”

“The Eden Project is his medium for getting that message across to the masses without boring the pants off them.”

“"Not many people know it, but the Fuhrer was a terrific dancer. He could dance the pants off Churchhill."”

“"Doom 3 is just going to terrify the pants off people," says Rob Smith, editor of PC Gamer magazine.”

“Roosevelt not only remade America, but he also charmed the pants off everybody while he did it.”

“Those of us old enough will also recall that Japan used to scare the pants off Americans and just about everyone else.”

CEFR level