knock the living daylights out of

Meaning: (idiomatic)Tobeatorstrikesomeone.1939, Ruth McKenney,Industrial Valley,→ISBN, page255:Boy, the fellows said he justknocked the living daylights out ofhim, bounced him six feet across the ground.; (idiomatic)Tothoroughlyanddecisivelydefeat someone in a physical fight, especially byknocking outthat person.1954, Denzil Batchelor,Big Fight: The Story of World Championship Boxing,→OCLC, page65:He won the English championship from the six-foot-three-inch, seventeen-stone Sam Hurst, the Staleybridge Infant,knocking the living daylights out ofthis champion; (figurative)To greatlyexcelagainst (someone or something).1963, “10 second summary”, inBusiness Management, volume25, page38:...where new and better depreciation regulations and a 7% business investment creditknocked the living daylights out ofnormal and historical accounting procedures...

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