beat the pants off

1. Also, beat hollow. Win decisively over someone, outdo. For example, When it comes to the Patriots' Day parade, Lexington beats the pants off the neighboring towns, or This beer beats the other brands hollow. Both phrases use beat in the sense of “surpass.” Pants off has served as an intensifier since about 1930; the variant dates from about 1775.

Example Sentences

“I’d like to beat the pants off them,” Nero said at the time.

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But if you have the time, a kitchen and a little extra cash, almost any home-cooked meal is going to beat the pants off a fast-food dinner.

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“Gosh, no wonder you beat the pants off the rest of us,” said Dee, laughing.

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With a surprisingly easy 79-61 win, the Hurricanes more or less beat the pants off Auburn.

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“She would beat the pants off of Trump,” said Taylor, who’s in the moving and storage business.

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