make one's hair stand on end

Idioms and Phrases

Also, make one's hair curl . Terrify one, as in The very thought of an earthquake makes my hair stand on end , or Diving off a high board is enough to make my hair curl . The first term, first recorded in 1534, alludes to goose pimples prompted by fear, which cause the hairs around them to stand up. The variant dates from the mid-1900s.