Click below to listen to the phrase.
Choose the correct definition a, b or c.
a) to make somebody laugh
Sorry, wrong answer. Please try again.
b) to surprise someone
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’to knock someone’s socks off’ means to surprise someone thoroughly.
French translation
en mettre en plein la vue, épater, être bluffant, en boucher un coin
How NOT to translate : *faire voler les chaussettes de quelqu’un
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Examples in context
’Are work issues due to problem employees or problem managers ?
Hire the best. Pay them fairly. Communicate frequently. Provide challenges and rewards. Believe in them. Get out of their way, and they’ll knock your socks off.
When I ask managers what their biggest challenge is, it seems like they always say the same thing : problem employees. This is something every business and organization struggles with.’
Florida Trend, 15th May 2015
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’Knives being seized, border costs rising : Some see solution
Hardware Sales Inc. of Bellingham, Washington, does about 25 percent of its online business outside the United States. But going global can be frustrating. Overzealous Australian customs inspectors sometimes confiscate perfectly legal knives. Canada imposes duties that can double the cost of a hammer.
The numbers won’t knock your socks off, Petri says.
For one thing, trade isn’t so vital to the U.S. economy : Exports account for just less than 14 percent of U.S. economic activity, one of the lowest shares among major nations. For another, the United States already has free trade agreements with six of the TPP countries. So the effects of another deal would be limited.’
The Daily Mail, 13th March 2015
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Everyday usage
The news knocked the socks off of everyone in the office. We managed to secure the investment for 2016.
The magazine is beautiful and combines colour and unusual design in a way that knocks your socks off.
c) to get the better of someone
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