beat the tar out of
Defeat very soundly
To beat the tar out of someone is to beat them severely, delivering a thorough physical thrashing.
The expression is informal and somewhat old-fashioned, often used hyperbolically to describe a decisive defeat rather than literal violence: Our team beat the tar out of them in the playoffs.
Like similar phrases involving beating substances out of someone (stuffing, daylights), the tar is figurative—emphasizing completeness of the beating rather than any actual substance.
- clobberDefeat or strike decisively
- drubDefeat thoroughly
- wallopForceful strike or defeat
- pummelStrike repeatedly with fists
- knock the daylights out ofHit extremely hard
thrash · trounce · vanquish · batter · annihilate · decimate · crush · dominate · rout · obliterate · maul · whip · lambaste · clean someone's clock · demolish · exert · hammer · overpower