chilled to the bone

Idioms & Phrases

chilled to the bone

Also, chilled to the marrow. Extremely or bitterly cold, as in After skiing in the wind for five hours straight, I was chilled to the bone. These hyperboles replaced the earlier idea of one's blood freezing and are more picturesque than the current synonym frozen.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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