drop someone's jaw

[peppy_man]

Hello.
I saw 'drop someone's jaw' used on the Internet or something and
went to my dictionary to check the exact meaning of the idiom.
The example given in the dictionary was 'her jaw dropped in surprise'.
The dictionary says that 'someone's jaw dropped' is used to in order to say that someone is very surprised'.
It says nothing about the transitive form of this idiom.
Is 'drop someone's jaw' acceptable?
Also, is it correct that the meaning of 'drop someone's jaw' is 'to surprise someone very much?
Thank you.

[Marylin]

Originally Posted by peppy_man

Hello.
I saw 'drop someone's jaw' used on the Internet or something and
went to my dictionary to check the exact meaning of the idiom.
The example given in the dictionary was 'her jaw dropped in surprise'.
The dictionary says that 'someone's jaw dropped' is used to in order to say that someone is very surprised'.
It says nothing about the transitive form of this idiom.
Is 'drop someone's jaw' acceptable?
Also, is it correct that the meaning of 'drop someone's jaw' is 'to surprise someone very much?
Thank you.

Someone's jaw drops but you can't drop someone's jaw. It's a phrase used when you are really suprised, shocked or in awe.

ex.

My jaw dropped when I saw my phone bill.

I told him he can have my car. His eyes filled up with tears, his jaw dropped and then he gave me a big hug.

He told me not to buy the house because it's haunted. Honestly I could see his jaw drop and his eyes bulged right out.

[peppy_man]

Marylin, thank you for you reply and giving me very informative examples.

>Someone's jaw drops but you can't drop someone's jaw.

You cleared up my question.
Actually, there is another question.

>My jaw dropped when I saw my phone bill.

As I mentioned in my last post, I often see 'something dropped someone's jaw'
on the Internet.
According to your answer, this would be a mistake or an error, but
could 'something dropped someone's jaw' have other meanings than 'surprising someone'?

The example I saw on the Internet is as follows.

The film dropped my jaw.

Thanks in advance.

[Marylin]

Originally Posted by peppy_man

Marylin, thank you for you reply and giving me very informative examples.

>Someone's jaw drops but you can't drop someone's jaw.

You cleared up my question.
Actually, there is another question.

>My jaw dropped when I saw my phone bill.

As I mentioned in my last post, I often see 'something dropped someone's jaw'
on the Internet.
According to your answer, this would be a mistake or an error, but
could 'something dropped someone's jaw' have other meanings than 'surprising someone'?

The example I saw on the Internet is as follows.

The film dropped my jaw.

Thanks in advance.

Again, nobody can drop your or anybody else's jaw. You can certainly break someone's jaw and hope they have a dental coverage...
Now, I would never say "The film dropped my jaw", neither have I heard anyone else put it that way. It sounds strange but I wouldn't be suprised if it's used somewhere else maybe...

[peppy_man]

Marylin, thank you for your quick reply.
Now everything is clear.
Thanks a million!

[Marylin]

Originally Posted by peppy_man

Marylin, thank you for your quick reply.
Now everything is clear.
Thanks a million!

You are very welcome, Peppy-man!

[henz988]

My jaw dropped when I saw the motor-player’s thrilling performance, which means I was astonished or shocked then.

But how can I describe such a situation?
I had thought his performance would be thrilling, but it turned out to be just so-so. He was badly out of his game. Is there any saying that fits this occasion?

Many thanks in advance.

[stuartnz]

Originally Posted by henz988

My jaw dropped when I saw the motor-player’s thrilling performance, which means I was astonished or shocked then.

But how can I describe such a situation?
I had thought his performance would be thrilling, but it turned out to be just so-so. He was badly out of his game. Is there any saying that fits this occasion?

Many thanks in advance.

(not a professional teacher) "jaw-droppingly" is in use for "extremely", "surprisingly" or even "extremely surprisingly". "His performance was jaw-droppingly bad." I don't know whether it would normally be used of something that was "just so-so", though.