fright

[jctgf]

"‘When one of us consorts with a human female, he assumes the shape of a man. Otherwise she would die of fright."

Hi there,
I have found this sentence on the web and wonder how common in English the expression in bold is. Curiously, it has a perfect equivalent in my language.
Thanks.
p.s.: please, correct or enhance my text. thanks.

 

[Anglika]

Fairly common - usually as an exaggeration of being startled or shocked. Here of course it is meant literally.

 

[jctgf]

Thanks.
Can I say "I killed them of fright"?
Not literally, of course.
Thanks again.

 

[Anglika]

No - you could say "I killed them by frightening them" or "I killed them with fright".