"Deer in the headlights" (1991)

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The worst thing, she adds, is to react "like a deer in the headlights--too stunned to respond or survive."
--WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2 March 2004, pg. D1, col. 1.

DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS--19,500 Google hits, 12,400 Google Groups hits

   I've heard this for several years, but I hadn't pinned a date on it.  I remember that Johnny Carson described scared guests like this.  I don't know if he coined it.

(GOOGLE GROUPS)
Re: Smart legal abusers
Write an ending for this story. She knows she's in for it now, but can't seem to
get herself moving from fear. Like the deer in your headlights, she is frozen. ...
soc.men - Jul 25, 1991 by Jack Mcbryde - View Thread (19 articles)

Re: a few more Toronto faces
... camera. B{) Sort of like the "deer in the headlights" effect, isn't
it? Brian -- Brian A. Jarvis, Rm. 4026, Sidney Smith Hall, Dept. ...
soc.motss - Jul 12, 1991 by Brian Jarvis - View Thread (5 articles)