Knock for a loop
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Defeat, disrupt, astonish, or emotionally overwhelm someone so thoroughly that normal composure or plans are lost. Informal. It can describe physical defeat, practical disruption, illness, or astonishment; the surrounding context supplies the strength. Regional use: American English.
Origin
The American colloquialism developed in the first half of the 20th century. It could first suggest a blow powerful enough to send a person tumbling, then readily extended to surprising news, failed plans, or emotional shock. One dictionary explains the image through comic-strip drawings of a struck figure rolling in a loop, but that visual association is explanatory rather than proof of one identifiable cartoon as the origin. Related 'throw for a loop' shares the same figurative pattern.
Research Sources
Variants
- Throw for a loop
- Knocked for a loop
- Knock someone for a loop
Usage Examples
- The sudden closure knocked the entire project team for a loop.
- Her first question threw the overconfident witness for a loop.
- A stomach virus knocked me for a loop, but I recovered by Monday.