Frighten Away for Dummies

"Frighten Away" is a phrase that we often use when we want to describe the action of scaring something or someone so much that they run off or go away. Think of it as similar to when you see a spider and you yell or jump, and the spider quickly scurries away to find a safe spot. In this case, you have frightened the spider away. It's like when you see a scary movie and you get so scared that you want to leave the room, or when you're playing with a toy and it suddenly starts making loud noises, causing you to drop it and move away quickly. These are all examples of situations where something or someone is frightened away.

Imagine you and your friends are playing a game of tag in the park. Your friend, let's call her Lily, is the one who is 'it', and she is chasing all of you to try and tag you. But then, suddenly, a loud noise startles Lily. It's a thunderclap! It frightens her away, making her run off in the opposite direction. In this situation, the loud noise scared Lily so much that she didn't want to be near it anymore, so she ran away to find safety.

Now, the phrase 'frighten away' can also be used to describe scaring something or someone away not only physically, but also in a more abstract sense. Imagine you're trying to make a new friend and you're excited to talk to them, but then someone comes over and starts being mean to you. Their mean words might frighten you away, making you feel scared or hurt, and causing you to distance yourself from that person. So, in this case, they didn't physically chase you, but their behavior or words scared you away emotionally, making you want to stay away from them.

So, basically, when we say 'frighten away', we mean to scare or startle something or someone so much that they quickly move away from the situation or distance themselves either physically or emotionally. It's like a reaction to being scared or feeling threatened, and it often happens when we encounter something that makes us feel afraid or uncomfortable.