to startle sb out of his wits
1The Idler (1758–1760) — This article is about the 18th century series of essays. For other publications called The Idler, see The Idler (disambiguation). The Idler was a series of 103 essays, all but twelve of them by Samuel Johnson, published in the London weekly the… …
2horrify — v 1. shock, startle, astound, stun, stupefy, paralyze, petrify; appall, consternate, daunt, unnerve, abash, floor; disturb, distress, harrow, agitate, dismay; outrage, scandalize, shock, Sl. gross out; disgust, nauseate, sicken, Inf. turn one s… …
3frighten — frighten, fright, scare, alarm, terrify, terrorize, startle, affray, affright mean to strike or to fill with fear or dread. Frighten is perhaps the most frequent in use; it is the most inclusive, for it may range in implicaton from a momentary… …
4frighten — v scare, affright, Archaic. fray, Scot. fley, Inf. funk, panic, throw into a panic; terrify, Inf. scare out of one s wits, Inf. make [s.o. s] hair stand on end, Inf. scare stiff, Sl. curl [s.o. s] hair; alarm, startle, Inf. make [s.o.] jump out… …
5frighten — I (Roget s IV) v. 1. [To strike with fear] Syn. scare, alarm, terrify, daunt, dismay, cow, terrorize, shock, startle, dishearten, abash, dispirit, throw into a fright, raise apprehension, intimidate, deter, threaten, prey on the mind, badger,… …