stuffing

To strike or assault someone violently and severely. Likened to the cotton stuffing of a stuffed animal being knocked out of it by severe blows. Hey, watch it, pal, or I'll beat the stuffing out of you! Two guys mugged me and then beat the stuffing out of me last night.

Rur. to kick or beat someone severely. Last time I was in a fight with Joe, he kicked the natural stuffing out of me. You do that again and I'll kick the stuffing out of you. Bill threatened to beat the natural stuffing out of any no-'count rascal who laid a hand on his sister.

to be much better than something It wasn't much of a plan, but it beat the hell out of sitting around the office waiting for something to happen.

to make someone feel less confident or physically weaker An operation like that is bound to knock the stuffing out of you. It was their third defeat in a row and it really knocked the stuffing out of them.

Also, knock or lick the hell or living daylights or shit or stuffing or tar out of . Administer a merciless beating to; also, defeat soundly. For example, The coach said he'd like to beat the living daylights out of the vandals who damaged the gym floor , or Bob knocked the stuffing out of that bully, or He swore he'd beat the tar out of anyone who tried to stop him. These colloquial phrases nearly always denote a physical attack. In the first, daylights originally (1700) meant "the eyes" and later was extended to any vital ( living) body organ. Thus Henry Fielding wrote, in Amelia (1752): "If the lady says another such words to me ... I will darken her daylights" (that is, put out her eyes). Hell here is simply a swear word used for emphasis. The more vulgar shit and the politer stuffing allude simply to knocking out someone's insides. Tar is more puzzling but has been so used since the late 1800s.

Also, knock the shit or stuffing or tar out of . See beat the living daylights out of.

Also, lick the tar out of. See under beat the living daylights out of.