student asking question

What's he trying say by "worst nightmare?" It's not about dreams, right?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Yes, it's not meant literally! "Worst nightmare" is an idiomatic expression used to describe a terrible, undesirable situation - one so bad that it's like a nightmare. Ex: I'm allergic to cats so when I heard my new roommate had 10 cats, it was like my worst nightmare ever came true. Ex: It was my worst nightmare. I walked into class to find out we had a surprise exam.

Popular Q&As

12/16

Complete the expression with a quiz!