deer-in-the-headlights?

[rainbow402]

It was daybreak on January 29, 2003, when a group of eager officials, including Deputy DA Levine and Lieutenant Cleary, came to Mason's front door. "He had the deer-in-the-headlights look," Cleary recalls.

"We want to talk to you about the murder of two El Segundo police officers," one of the detectives said.

"He didn't deny it," Cleary says, "but we could tell he was shocked we'd solved the case after all these years."

Hi Teacher,

What is " deer-in-the-headlights"?

 

[Horsa]

Its idiomatic here but a deer is an animal. If you are driving at night, the headlights on your car are usually on so you can see where you are going. So you are driving at night with yourheadlights on and suddenly there is a deer on the road in front of you. Your lights are shining directly on it. It will be so frightened that it will be trapped and unable to move. That is the meaning here -very frightened and trapped.

 

[rainbow402]

Horsa, thanks! The expression is vivid and interesting. :-D

 

[Horsa]

Yes it an interesting use of language by the author.