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deer in the headlights

noun

Etymology

From the image of a deer caught in a car's headlights – wide-open eyes, lack of motor reactions, etc.

Definitions

  1. A person in a mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety, fear, panic, surprise,…

    A person in a mental state of high arousal caused by anxiety, fear, panic, surprise, confusion, or substance abuse.

  2. A person with a stunned or glazed expression.

    • "What! I thought you were finished with principal photography." He looked disoriented, the deer in the headlights. Hints of extra crew time always had that effect on him.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for deer in the headlights. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA