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spine-chilling

American  
[spahyn-chil-ing] / ˈspaɪnˌtʃɪl ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. very frightening or horrifying.

spine-chilling British  

adjective

  1. (of a book, film, etc) arousing terror

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spine-chilling

First recorded in 1945–50; spine ( def. ) + chilling ( def. )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.