bolt upright

Idioms  

1. Precisely perpendicular, erect in carriage, as in She sat bolt upright in her pew. This expression was used in slightly different form by Chaucer in the late 1300s: “She was ... long as a mast and upright as a bolt” (The Miller's Tale).

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Example Sentences

His words were like lightning to my system, and I sat bolt upright so fast that my shoulder cracked Elliot in the chin.

From Literature

I sat bolt upright in the freezing simulation room, breathing hard as the very real adrenaline from the very fake simulation raced through my system.

From Literature

An alarm blared, jarring me from a dream where I was doing a Glitch in a trench during what had to be World War I. I sat bolt upright, my hair barely skimming the top of my bunk, and for maybe the second time in my life I was grateful for being short.

From Literature

A loud cry pierced the night, and I sat bolt upright.

From Literature

In fact, trying to hold yourself bolt upright all day could do more harm than good, he told Morning Live.

From BBC

Related Words

• perpendicular
• steep