the tar out of

adverb

Used as an intensifier between a verb and its object: thoroughly, with vigour, to an intense degree.

Similar
the stuffing out ofseven bells out ofseven hells out ofthe bejeebers out ofthe bejesus out ofthe crap out ofthe daylight out ofthe daylights out of
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Meanings

adverbthe tar out of (not comparable)
  1. informalnot comparableUsed as an intensifier between a verb and its object: thoroughly, with vigour, to an intense degree.

    It had been common gossip along the wharves at home that young Edwards had grown able to lick the tar out of Yerner.

    1930, Captain Dingle, “Treasure!” (chapter 9), in Seaworthy, Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, page 76

    Synonyms: the stuffing out of, seven bells out of, seven hells out of, the bejeebers out of, the bejesus out of, the crap out of, the daylight out of, the daylights out of

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbUsed as an intensifier between a verb and its object: thoroughly, with vigour, to an intense degree.

Similar
the stuffing out ofseven bells out ofseven hells out ofthe bejeebers out ofthe bejesus out ofthe crap out ofthe daylight out ofthe daylights out ofthe devil out ofthe dickens out ofthe flying fuck out ofthe fuck out ofthe fuckola out ofthe heck out ofthe hell out ofthe life out ofthe living crap out ofthe living daylights out ofthe living shit out ofthe pantaloons off
Cite this entry
APA

the tar out of. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20tar%20out%20of

MLA

“the tar out of.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20tar%20out%20of. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the tar out of,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20tar%20out%20of.

Source: the tar out of on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.