jump out of one's skin

jump out of one's skin idiom
Be extremely startled or frightened. For example, When he crept up on me so quietly, I nearly jumped out of my skin. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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