Sit/stand bolt upright

Definition 1 of 1

Pro Tip 1/3

The phrase often indicates an immediate reaction to something unexpected or startling.

Hearing the explosion, everyone in the room stood bolt upright.

Pro Tip 2/3

When used, it suggests a high level of intensity in the person's emotion, such as extreme alertness.

The loud bang made me sit bolt upright, heart racing.

Pro Tip 3/3

It creates a strong visual of a person's posture changing rapidly to a very straight, vertical position.

In the presence of the general, the soldiers stood bolt upright.

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