English

Verb

to scare straight ‎(third-person singular simple present scares straight, present participle scaring straight, simple past and past participle scared straight)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To frighten (someone) to such a degree that a significant improvement in behavior results.
   • 1982 Sept. 3, Ellen Goodman, "Work ethic remains strong as ever," Spokesman-Review (Spokane, USA), p. 4 (retrieved 13 Feb 2013):

     Indeed, there is a streak of Reaganomics that believes the only way to motivate American workers is to scare them straight with unemployment charts.

   • 2005 March 16, Pete Thamel, "Scared Straight Into the Courts of Basketball," New York Times (retrieved 13 Feb 2013):

     Thomas credited the boot camp for scaring him straight.

   • 2006 May 15, "How Bill Put the Fizz in the Fight Against Fat, Time (retrieved 13 Feb 2013):

     Slimmed down and scared straight after his bypass surgery, Clinton brokers a deal to get sugary drinks out of schools.

Usage notes

• Often used in the past participial form, scared straight.

See also

• set straight