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Glite Dictionary
jaw in lap

jaw in lap

9.9
A look of great surprise with the mouth open
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : quedarse con la boca abierta
  • When she saw the final bill, her jaw in lap expression said it all.

Examples

  • After hearing the unexpected announcement, I sat there with my jaw in lap.

  • The magician's last trick left every child's jaw in lap.

  • Wow! That was a jaw in lap moment!

  • When she heard the news, her jaw in lap expression said it all!

  • After hearing the unexpected announcement, I sat there with my jaw in lap, completely stunned.

  • When she saw the magician's last trick, her jaw in lap look revealed her astonishment.

  • The shocking news left everyone in the room with their jaw in lap and eyes wide open.

Synonyms

state of shock
vsjaw in lap
17 3.9

A very stunned and numb feeling after a sudden bad event

focuses on visible astonishment and open-mouthed surprise rather than distress

Antonyms

unimpressed
14 4.0

Not thinking something is good or interesting

unaffected
3 3.9

Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling

How Astonished

jaw in lap
  • Informal
9.9
stunned
29 3.0
astonished
21 2.7
surprised
357 1.0
startled
3.3

Surface Forms

jaw in lap singular
jaws in lap plural

Morphology

jaw + in + lap

The phrase creates a vivid literal image (a jaw ending up in someone’s lap) that cues extreme surprise, so a learner who knows 'jaw' and 'lap' can plausibly infer the general idea. However, this is a metaphorical, non‑standard formulation rather than a regular compositional pattern in English, so the exact idiomatic sense may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Jaw in lap comes from a strong, funny picture: someone opens their mouth so wide the lower jaw looks like it has dropped into their lap after seeing something amazing. That's why the phrase means 'very shocked' or 'astonished'.