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put the fear of God into
Idioms and Phrases
Terrify someone, as in The school counselor put the fear of God into the girls when she talked about AIDS . This phrase alludes to a time when most people had a mingled feeling of dread and reverence toward the deity. [Late 1800s]Example Sentences
"It put the fear of God into me," Moore said, laughing.
If that’s not enough to put the fear of God into a parent, I don’t know what is.
"It put the fear of God into me, but after reading about FIV I learned it needn't be a death sentence and that cats who have it can lead fairly normal lives if cared for properly," she said.
Reddick, whose voice was well-trained, resonant and easy on the ear, didn’t have to get loud to put the fear of God into a character or viewer; you could sense well enough the roiling currents beneath a placid surface.
She should have put the fear of God into the Greens—or, at least, the fear of the Department of Justice.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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