beat the daylights out of

English

Alternative forms

• beat the daylight out of

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

beat the daylights out of (third-person singular simple present beats the daylights out of, present participle beating the daylights out of, simple past beat the daylights out of, past participle beaten the daylights out of or beat the daylights out of)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To beat (someone) severely.
   • 1993, Lester Sumrall, The Life Story of Lester Sumrall, →ISBN:

     Punching fast and furiously, I would beat the daylights out of them until they were bloody all over.

2. (transitive, idiomatic) To defeat (someone) thoroughly and decisively, especially in a physical fight.
   • 2007, Greg Oliver, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, →ISBN, page 42:

     The guy beat the daylights out of me, and I made a dollar. My wrestling license cost five dollars.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:clobber

References

• “beat the daylights out of”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.