put someone's lights out

present singular third person puts someone's lights out · participle present putting someone's lights out

1. idiomaticTo cause someone to become unconscious, especially by striking him or her.

   "The last time I fought Mustafa, I just wanted to give him a beating. . . . This time, I want to put his lights out."

   1984 August 28, Bert Rosenthal, “Hagler looks forward to Garden visit”, in Kentucky New Era, retrieved 12 Nov 2015, page C1

   2 more examples

   "He's taken an awful lot of punches in his last few fights and if Thomas hits him like that, he'll put his lights out. It'll be like a blackout."

   1981 September 16, “More than 300 million to see THE fight tonight”, in Beaver County Times, retrieved 12 Nov 2015, page C1

   [H]e knew every trick in the books, combatwise, and "could put your lights out with a simple sustained pressure on a carotid nerve."

   1996 December 31, Bill Copeland, “True love is where you find it”, in Sarasota Herald-Tribune, retrieved 12 Nov 2015, page 4E

   Synonyms: knock out