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bloodcurdler

American  
[bluhd-kur-dler] / ˈblʌdˌkɜr dlər /

noun

  1. something causing great fright or horror.

    a bloodcurdler of a mystery novel.

Etymology

Origin of bloodcurdler

First recorded in 1885–90; blood + curdle + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Complained Crowther: “Hitchcock, an old hand at frightening people, comes at you with a club in this frankly intended bloodcurdler.”

From Slate

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.