punch someone's lights out
To give someone a serious beating using one's fists; to punch someone until he or she is unconscious.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The angry man threatened to punch his lights out.”
“After the stranger insulted his family, he felt so furious that he wanted to punch his lights out.”
“The bully kept pushing the quiet student until the boy finally snapped and threatened to punch his lights out right there in the hallway.”
“The tension in the room grew until the larger man warned that if he heard another word, he would punch his lights out.”
The expression relies upon the metaphor of extinguishing a source of illumination, such as a lamp, lantern, or candle. By snuffing out the light, one renders the immediate environment dark; by punching another person's lights out, one achieves a similar effect for the recipient.
A secondary interpretation involves the biological machinery of vision. The light in question may refer to sightedness or the eyes themselves, which close upon the onset of unconsciousness. This shift from external flame to internal vision mirrors the figurative logic found in the phrase by one's lights.
- 01
amber light
Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.
- 02
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 03
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 05
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 06
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 07
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
- 08
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
Last updated August 10, 2026