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shock
be in for a shock
To be guaranteed to receive or experience an unexpectedly jarring outcome, especially a negative one. If you think being a parent is easy, then you're in for a shock! Mary's been so sheltered all her life that she'll be in for a shock when she has to start paying her own bills.
culture shock
A sudden feeling of confusion or surprise when confronted by an unfamiliar situation or cultural environment. It is often a huge culture shock for American women traveling to the Middle East when they are expected to wear head scarves and be accompanied by a man at all times.
short sharp shock
A fast, severe punishment. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. He needs a short sharp shock to persuade him to change his ways and give up that life of crime.
*the shock of one's life
Fig. a serious (emotional) shock. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give one ~.) I opened the telegram and got the shock of my life. I had the shock of my life when I won $5,000.
a culture shock
feelings of being confused or surprised that you have when you are in a country or social group that is very different from your own The first time she went to Japan, Isabel got a huge culture shock.
a short sharp shock
(British & Australian) a type of punishment that is quick and severe What young offenders need is a short sharp shock that will frighten them into behaving more responsibly.
culture shock
A state of confusion and anxiety experienced by someone upon encountering an alien environment. For example, It's not just jet lag-it's the culture shock of being in a new country. This term was first used by social scientists to describe, for example, the experience of a person moving from the country to a big city. It is now used more loosely, as in the example. [Late 1930s]
shocks
n. shock absorbers in an automobile. How much is a set of shocks for a buggy like this?
sticker shock
n. the shock at seeing just how much something new, usually an automobile, costs as determined by looking at the price tag or sticker. I went to a car dealer today, and I am still suffering from sticker shock.
shell shock
Psychological adverse reaction to combat. The phrase originated during World War I when intensive enemy artillery bombarding caused soldiers in the trenches to suffer from a variety of traumas that ranged from moderate panic attacks to physical and emotional paralysis. Changes in warfare and psychological lingo caused the phrase to be replaced during the Second World War by “battle fatigue” and more recently to “posttraumatic stress disorder.”