Shake in your shoes
verb phrase
To feel very scared or nervous about something.
When I have to speak in front of a large crowd, I shake in my shoes.

Often appears as...
- shake in your shoes with fear
- make someone shake in their shoes
Usage tips
Colloquial, Idiomatic
verb phrase
To feel very scared or nervous about something.
When I have to speak in front of a large crowd, I shake in my shoes.

Often appears as...
- shake in your shoes with fear
- make someone shake in their shoes
Usage tips
Colloquial, Idiomatic
Definition 1 of 1

Colloquial Use
Used more in casual conversation than formal or written English.

I was shaking in my shoes before the roller coaster started.
Exaggeration
Often used to exaggerate fear for effect, not always literal shaking.

He makes me shake in my shoes when he's angry, even if I'm not really trembling.
Figurative Language
A metaphor for feeling very afraid, without actual movement.

The haunted house story left us shaking in our shoes.
Colloquial Use
Used more in casual conversation than formal or written English.

I was shaking in my shoes before the roller coaster started.
Exaggeration
Often used to exaggerate fear for effect, not always literal shaking.

He makes me shake in my shoes when he's angry, even if I'm not really trembling.
Figurative Language
A metaphor for feeling very afraid, without actual movement.

The haunted house story left us shaking in our shoes.
Colloquial Use
Used more in casual conversation than formal or written English.

I was shaking in my shoes before the roller coaster started.
Exaggeration
Often used to exaggerate fear for effect, not always literal shaking.

He makes me shake in my shoes when he's angry, even if I'm not really trembling.
Figurative Language
A metaphor for feeling very afraid, without actual movement.

The haunted house story left us shaking in our shoes.
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