eat sb alive

eat somebody alive

ˌeat sb aˈlive idiom

(informal)

1. to criticize or punish sb severely because you are extremely angry with them

• He'll eat you alive if he ever finds out.

2. to defeat sb completely in an argument, a competition, etc

• The defence lawyers are going to eat you alive tomorrow.

3. usually passive (of insects, etc.) to bite sb many times

• I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

eat somebody aˈlive (informal)
1 to criticize or punish somebody severely because you are extremely angry with them: He’ll eat you alive if he ever finds out.

2 to defeat somebody completely in an argument, a competition, etc: The defence lawyers are going to eat you alive tomorrow.

3 [usually passive] (of insects, etc.) to bite somebody many times: I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015