knock for a loop

present singular third person knocks for a loop · participle present knocking for a loop · participle past knocked for a loop · past knocked for a loop

1. idiomatictransitiveTo astonish; to stagger or overwhelm; to confuse or disorient.

   [A] triple threat to the U.S. economy[…]has knocked stock prices for a loop.

   1967 November 17, “Wall Street: Big Casino”, in Time, archived from the original on 20 Jul 2014

   3 more examples

   [Denham answered] "Gas bombs, Old Man! My own prescription. […] Gas bombs powerful enough to knock a row of elephants for a loop."

   1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 7

   Poor Janice, she'll be knocked for a loop. She'll feel she's let her father down.

   1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest, →ISBN, page 394

   Karyn McNay as Ulla, the sexy Swedish actress/receptionist/cleaning woman, knocks the audience for a loop too.

   2008 September 7, Anita Gates, “Stage: Dinner and a Show, in One Spot, at One Price”, in The New York Times, retrieved 02 Aug 2014

   Synonyms: throw for a loop, throw off