knock someone's block off

Idioms & Phrases

knock someone's block off

Beat up someone, as in If he doesn't leave at once, I'll knock his block off. This hyperbolic term employs block in the sense of "head," a usage dating from the 1600s. The idiom, however, dates only from about 1900. Also see beat the living daylights out of.

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