bolt upright

Idioms  

1. Precisely perpendicular, erect in carriage, as in She sat bolt upright in her pew. This expression was used in slightly different form by Chaucer in the late 1300s: “She was ... long as a mast and upright as a bolt” (The Miller's Tale).

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Example Sentences

But four younger colleagues from Toulouse froze, bolt upright.

From BBC • Aug. 14, 2022

However, there is one person who will bolt upright with alarm whenever I sneeze and exclaim, “Well, excuse you!” or, “Why didn’t you give us some warning?!” making everyone stare at me further.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2022

I sat bolt upright, moving my lips with nothing coming out.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2022

I have watched Holmes sit bolt upright at the defense table as her lawyers slowly wilt.

From The Verge • Dec. 9, 2021

As I was dozing off, I heard a rustling and sat bolt upright.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• perpendicular
• steep