Stand-Up Joke About Moroccans And The Name Osama
B1 English listening practice · American English · Curated for intermediate learners
What does “scare the shit out of somebody” mean in American English?
Scare the shit out of somebody is a strong American English phrase that means “to scare someone very, very much.” The form verb + the shit out of is a way to make a verb stronger. You can also say “beat the shit out of,” “annoy the shit out of,” or “scare the shit out of” someone. The phrase is informal and very common in American comedy and movies.
In this stand-up clip, the comedian uses it to talk about how a comedy show has to surprise the audience: “you need to scare the shit out of everybody.” Comedians say the phrase often, and so do American adults in casual chat when they want a feeling to sound very big.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this B1 English listening practice listening practice?
General English frequency
Spoken English frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s B1 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In American stand-up specials (Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, John Mulaney)
- ▸In American action and horror films (The Shining, Get Out, Jaws)
- ▸In American reaction videos and prank YouTube channels
- ▸In American sports talk after a close game
- ▸In American casual chat between friends and family