struck or filled with horror,terrified. Literally it means that something is so terrifying or shocking that the hair on one's
body stands up
straight,
similar to how a
cat's hair
stands up when stricken with
terror. This saying appears in the
Bible, "
Fear and trembling seized me...and the hair on my
body stood on end." Centuries later this led to the
word "hair-raising," a
synonym for terrifying.
Example "His hair stood on end when he
saw the car speeding toward him out of
control." And I actually-my hair's been
standing on end.