scary to the bone
- idiom
- Informal
- The haunted house attraction was scary to the bone, with actors jumping out at every turn.
Examples
-
That horror novel was scary to the bone and kept me up all night.
-
She found the abandoned hospital scary to the bone, especially when she heard strange noises inside.
-
That horror movie was scary to the bone!
-
The haunted house was scary to the bone.
-
The haunted house attraction was scary to the bone, with actors jumping out at every turn.
-
That horror novel was scary to the bone and kept me up all night.
-
She found the abandoned hospital scary to the bone, especially when she heard strange noises inside.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Causing fear or making you feel afraid
248
3.0
Causing someone to feel afraid
243
5.3
Making people feel very afraid
200
5.5
Causing great fear or shock
116
3.2
Strange and frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, like a ghost
103
4.5
Makes people feel very afraid and shocked
85
5.3
Making you feel very scared or worried
79
7.0
Very shocking and scary, causing fear or disgust
77
5.1
A strange, frightening feeling as if ghosts are nearby
34
4.8
Very frightening and likely to make people afraid
6
7.0
Very cold or scary
2
6.8
Causing so much fear that a person cannot move
2
8.2
Making you feel very afraid and shocked
2
6.0
Causes a strong feeling of fear or excitement
Scaring people with sudden shocks that make them scream
Antonyms
How Scary
- Informal
- Informal
2
8.2
2
6.8
∞
1.0
116
3.2
68
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
scary + to + the + bone
The headword 'scary' is transparent but the fragment 'to the bone' functions as a metaphorical intensifier (meaning 'deeply' or 'thoroughly') that is not strictly derivable from the literal sense of 'bone.' A B1 learner who knows the words might infer it means 'very frightening' from the image of fear reaching one's bones, but recognizing the idiomatic intensifier requires some prior exposure, so it is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Scary to the bone comes from the image of fear going deep into your body, right down to the bone. That's why it means 'extremely frightening'.