scare the living daylights out of someone

scare the (living) daylights out of (someone)

To shock or frighten someone very suddenly and/or severely. Don't sneak up on me like that; you scared the living daylights out of me!See also: daylight, of, out, scare

scare the living daylights out of someone

or

scare the daylights out of someone

If someone or something scares the living daylights out of you or scares the daylights out of you, they frighten you very much. You scared the living daylights out of me last night with all that screaming. Bears appear in back gardens and garages, where they scare the daylights out of residents. Note: The verb frighten is sometimes used instead of scare. A tremendous wind swept off the land and frightened the living daylights out of us.See also: daylight, living, of, out, scare, someone