to blood run cold
3
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
se me heló la sangre
- "Unless," thought Hilary, and his blood ran cold with the thought.
- makes my blood run cold
And some of the Johns I've interviewed and have been, many have come out with comments about women that make my blood run cold.
- And some of the Johns I've interviewed and have been, many have come out with comments about women that make my blood run cold.
Examples
-
Yet when he thought of such an option, his blood ran cold.
Fiction book (2000) -
Dorothy's blood ran cold as she watched the woman seem to inch forward, then pitch headfirst in a slow somersault.
Fiction book (1991) -
"There are things that go on up there that would make your blood run cold, boy, cold as ice.
Fiction book (1993) -
At these words, which I shall never forget, my blood ran cold.
Academic text (1994) -
"Her blood ran cold as she looked at him.
Fiction book (1991) -
Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.
-
Her blood ran cold when she thought of the V'ornn.
Fiction book (2001) -
But my knees shook and my blood ran cold.
Fiction book (1999) -
That's a name that should make the blood run cold for any backstop.
Blog text (13) -
The horror movie was so terrifying that it made my blood run cold.
Synonyms
115
1.2
To shake slightly because of cold, fear or excitement
85
3.7
To shake suddenly because you feel cold, afraid, or very upset
16
6.8
Become suddenly cold and quiet in a social situation
Suddenly stop moving because you feel afraid or surprised
How Scared
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'blood' + 'run' + 'cold' to evoke a bodily reaction (blood becoming cold), so a learner who knows the words can infer a physical-metaphor for an emotional response. However, mapping that image specifically to 'sudden intense fear or shock' requires a cultural/idiomatic inference; similar constructions exist in many languages (e.g. Spanish 'se me heló la sangre'), which helps but does not make the meaning fully predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Blood run cold comes from the strong image of your blood suddenly running cold, like a chill that moves through you when something scares you. That's why it means 'to feel sudden and intense fear or shock'.