knock someone's socks off
Meaning: To impress or amaze someone greatly.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Her voice will knock your socks off.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: A comic exaggeration of being struck so hard one's socks fly off. American English from the mid-19th century, first meaning to beat someone badly.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Ça en jette ! — literally: To throw some / it throws some!
More idioms — Body & Senses
- throw one's weight around — To use one's power or importance in an overbearing way.
- swap spit — To kiss passionately (slang).
- hit the wall — To suddenly run out of energy.
- sit on one's hands — To do nothing when action is needed.
- beat someone to a pulp — To beat someone very severely.
- have had it up to here — To be completely fed up.
More English idioms
- no sweat — No problem; that's easy.
- dumb as a box of rocks — Very stupid.
- without a penny to one's name — With no money at all.
- feed someone a line — To tell someone something untrue to deceive them.
- a smart aleck — An annoying person who shows off how clever they are.
- what have you been smoking? — Said to someone whose idea sounds crazy.
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