Etymology Journal ยท K
Knock your socks off
Meaning
- To surprise or impress someone greatly. It is often used when showing off a new product, a performance, or an unexpected gift.
Enthusiastic, impressed
Used in a sentence
- Wait until you see the final results, it is going to knock your socks off.
- She performed a song that really knocked our socks off.
- That new restaurant is sure to knock your socks off with their spicy wings.
The backstory
This is an American idiom from the early 20th century. It plays on the idea that an event is so shocking that one's clothing literally flies off.
Heard in
Nationwide
Vibe check