scary off

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "scary off" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression is "scare off," which means to frighten someone away or cause them to leave. Example: "The loud noise from the construction site was enough to scare off the birds from the area."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Wiki

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Go to YouTube and listen to "Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows" It's awesome, and can get something scary off your mind!

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Mr. Mercedes is her choice for those who want a scary, off-kilter read.

Huffington Post

Next up for promotion was Beastly, set for summer release and following in the tradition of the Twilight films -- somewhat scary, off-beat and built with deep appeal to teenage moviegoers.

Huffington Post

Click here to view It's been a hard six months for Spice Girls devotees, who have already had to endure Sporty's duet with X Factor bore Matt Cardle and Scary getting off with herself in the video for her latest single For Once in My Life.

The Guardian

I fed baby meerkats with shongololos, had a scary stand-off with the buffalo and recorded two tortoises having it off.

The Guardian - Travel

3.29pm: Well into what looks like a terrifying descent with lots of scary drop-offs over the side of the mountain, Jeremy Roy is now 1min 13seclearar of David Moncoutie.

The Guardian - Sport

But there's a bigger problem: health care as a system is incredibly complicated, and also incredibly scary and off-putting for voters to think about — which is the reason most people never want to talk about it or learn about it in the first place.

The New Yorker

But those scary write-offs are mostly at giant banks–so far at least.

Forbes

She said public attitude was "very much focussed around what we see and read and quite often that's focussed on the end stages of dementia which are incredibly scary and off-putting, but actually what we do know is that people who are diagnosed early with dementia can quite often live a very fulfilling life".

BBC

I've always wondered whether she grew into her name, or was she genuinely scary from the off?

The Guardian - Music

"The problem is, a lot of online games are insanely macho, competitive experiences that are scary to go off and play.

The Guardian - Tech

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use the correct and widely accepted phrase "scare off" instead of "scary off" to ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy in your writing. For example, instead of saying "The scary movie was going to scary off the children", say "The scary movie was going to "scare off" the children".

Common error

Don't use "scary off" thinking it's a direct parallel to other "adjective + off" constructions. The correct form is "scare off", where "scare" functions as a verb. The adjective "scary" does not fit in this idiomatic expression.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "scary off" functions incorrectly as a verb phrase intended to convey frightening something away. As noted by Ludwig AI, the correct form is ""scare off"", where 'scare' acts as the verb.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "scary off" might seem like a logical construction, it's grammatically incorrect. The correct form is ""scare off"", where 'scare' functions as a verb. As Ludwig AI points out, stick to ""scare off"" to effectively communicate the act of frightening someone or something away. Consider using synonyms such as "frighten away" or "deter" for varied expression. Remember to avoid "scary off" in formal writing to maintain clarity and grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

scare away

Emphasizes causing fear that results in someone or something leaving.

frighten off

Highlights the act of causing fright as the reason for departure.

deter

Focuses on discouraging or preventing action through fear or doubt.

ward off

Implies preventing something harmful by creating fear or aversion.

drive away

Highlights the action of forcing someone or something to leave.

repel

Focuses on causing aversion or disgust, leading to avoidance.

turn away

Implies causing someone to reject or avoid something due to its frightening nature.

put off

Highlights causing someone to dislike or lose interest due to a scary aspect.

dissuade

Focuses on persuading someone not to do something because it is frightening.

discourage

Emphasizes making someone lose confidence or enthusiasm due to fear.

FAQs

Is "scary off" grammatically correct?

No, "scary off" is not grammatically correct. The correct phrase is ""scare off"", where "scare" functions as a verb meaning to frighten away.

What does ""scare off"" mean?

"Scare off" means to frighten someone or something away, preventing them from approaching or doing something.

How can I use ""scare off"" in a sentence?

You can use ""scare off"" in a sentence like this: "The loud noise from the construction site was enough to "scare off" the birds from the area."

Are there any synonyms for ""scare off""?

Yes, some synonyms for ""scare off"" include "frighten away", "deter", and "drive away".